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Garvey in the Dark



by
Nikki Grimes

Edition
Hardcover edition
Publisher
Astra House Publishing
Imprint
Wordsong
ISBN
9781635925265
POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
Discrimination: Racial Insensitivity/Racism , Violence: General
$22.25   $18.54
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Capturing the shock and reverberations of the COVID-19 pandemic through the eyes of Garvey, a beloved character, Nikki Grimes’s newest novel in verse shows readers how to find hope in difficult times.

Garvey’s finally happy—he’s feeling close to his father through their shared love of music, bullies are no longer tormenting him, and his best friends Manny and Joe are by his side. But when the schools, stores, and restaurants close because people are getting sick, Garvey’s improved life goes into lockdown as well. And when Garvey’s father gets sick, Garvey must find a way to use his newfound musical skills to bring hope to both his father and himself. Moving, powerful, and beautifully told, this remarkable novel shows readers how even small acts have large reverberations, how every person can make a difference in this world, and how—even in the most difficult times—there are ways to reach for hope and healing.

Nikki Grimes is a New York Times bestselling author who has won the ALAN Award for outstanding contributions to young adult literature, the Children's Literature Legacy Award, the Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement, and NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. She has also received several ALSC Notables, a Coretta Scott King Author Award, Coretta Scott King Author Honors, Boston Globe-Horn Book Honors, a Printz Honor, and a Sibert Honor.

“Garvey’s California COVID-19 Timeline 2020.” Information about the Tanka poetry form.

POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
Discrimination: Racial Insensitivity/Racism , Violence: General

Details

Format

Print

Page Count

176

Trim Size

7 3/4" x 5 1/2"

Dewey

811

AR

3.8: points 1

Lexile

590L

Genre

Fic

Scholastic Reading Counts

0

JLG Release

Mar 2023

Book Genres

Novels in Verse, Realistic Fiction

Topics

COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020. American poetry. Music. African Americans. Black people. Family life. Fathers and sons. Racism. Police brutality. Southern California. 

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Praise & Reviews

School Library Journal

School Library Journal

Library Journal

Gr 4–8—This companion novel to Garvey's Choice follows Garvey's experiences living through the changes and upsets in 2020 that the start of the pandemic brought. Told in the modern form of tanka poems (31 syllables in five lines), this novel in verse, set in Southern California, shows the routine of daily life for Garvey—being with friends, going to school, attending church, creating music—and the increasing whispers of illness, death, and the looming threat of the "Invisible Beast" (as Garvey and his friend Manny call it). Garvey's mother, a teacher, begins to work from home while his father, an essential worker, still must leave the house, risking exposure to the virus. As Garvey, who is Black, becomes stuck inside more than ever, he longs to participate in the BLM protests sweeping the world in the aftermath of the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. He learns to manage his worries through a supportive family, his deep attachment to music, and books. As Garvey notes as the start of the book, the pandemic has left him different but also the same, a feeling many young readers may relate to. Though it feels rushed at times, this quick read, both in pacing and format, is a moving reflection on our recent past and the ongoing pandemic. Grimes, with her characteristic graceful, emotive poetry, incisively captures and uncertainty, exhaustion, fear, and isolation of the era. VERDICT Top-notch writing with wide appeal. A hopeful tool for processing the pandemic, which has occupied a significant portion of students' young lives.—Amanda MacGregor

Praise & Reviews

School Library Journal

School Library Journal

Library Journal

Gr 4–8—This companion novel to Garvey's Choice follows Garvey's experiences living through the changes and upsets in 2020 that the start of the pandemic brought. Told in the modern form of tanka poems (31 syllables in five lines), this novel in verse, set in Southern California, shows the routine of daily life for Garvey—being with friends, going to school, attending church, creating music—and the increasing whispers of illness, death, and the looming threat of the "Invisible Beast" (as Garvey and his friend Manny call it). Garvey's mother, a teacher, begins to work from home while his father, an essential worker, still must leave the house, risking exposure to the virus. As Garvey, who is Black, becomes stuck inside more than ever, he longs to participate in the BLM protests sweeping the world in the aftermath of the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. He learns to manage his worries through a supportive family, his deep attachment to music, and books. As Garvey notes as the start of the book, the pandemic has left him different but also the same, a feeling many young readers may relate to. Though it feels rushed at times, this quick read, both in pacing and format, is a moving reflection on our recent past and the ongoing pandemic. Grimes, with her characteristic graceful, emotive poetry, incisively captures and uncertainty, exhaustion, fear, and isolation of the era. VERDICT Top-notch writing with wide appeal. A hopeful tool for processing the pandemic, which has occupied a significant portion of students' young lives.—Amanda MacGregor

Grades 5-8
Realistic Fiction Middle Plus
For Grades 5-8

Stories with strong, relatable characters that portray believable contemporary or historical real-life experiences.

14 books per Year
$285.46 per Year
Interests
Chapter Books/Novels,Diversity,Fiction,History,Realistic Fiction
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Grades 5-8
Realistic Fiction Middle Plus
14 books per Year
$285.46 per Year

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