Starred review from May 1, 2023
Langley (When Langston Dances) explores communal grieving and found family in this middle grade debut, a layered novel in verse. With her “best and only true friend” Zee Ellis admitted to study violin at a Boston STEAM charter school, 11-year-old April Jackson enters sixth grade determined to fulfill her own musical dreams by taking drum lessons with Zee’s dad. Music and her deepening bond with Papa Zee ground April as she clashes with a nosy, talkative classmate, takes in her queer single mom’s new romance, and worries about increasingly distant Zee, who experiences a possibly stress-induced health scare. After April reluctantly promises to keep Zee’s cardiac symptoms secret, his sudden death leaves her feeling regretful and “dreaming solo,” and when Papa Zee’s grief reaches new heights, April must reach out to her community to compose her new normal. Declarative lines paint a spare picture of interpersonal bonds and grief, while April’s resilience and desire to uplift loved ones guides a narrative that’s invested in themes of loss, ethics, and empathy. Most characters cue as Black. An author’s note provides background on sudden cardiac arrest. Ages 10–14. Agent: Charlotte Sheedy, Charlotte Sheedy Literary.
