Join us on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. to explore the dynamic storytelling of young adult fiction. Books purchased for our book clubs are always 20% off. Please email Ellen Klein for more information and to join.

This month, we are reading Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds, National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestselling author.

Recommended by loyal Hooray for Books! customer Alison Perine: “In Look Both Ways, Jason Reynolds shines a light on ordinary walks home and turns them into the extraordinary without the need of magic or faraway lands. Instead, Reynolds shows how worthwhile the people and neighborhoods around us are, especially when you take the time to know what’s happening in people’s lives. The stories in Look Both Ways are heartfelt, engaging, funny, thoughtful, and though sad at times, full of hope.”

ABOUT THE BOOK

A National Book Award Finalist
An NPR Favorite Book of 2019
A New York Times Best Children's Book of 2019
A School Library Journal Best Middle Grade Book of 2019
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2019
A Kirkus Reviews Best Middle Grade Book of 2019

This story was going to begin like all the best stories. With a school bus falling from the sky. But no one saw it happen. They were all too busy--

Talking about boogers.
Stealing pocket change.
Skateboarding.
Wiping out.
Braving up.
Executing complicated handshakes.
Planning an escape.
Making jokes.
Lotioning up.
Finding comfort.
But mostly, too busy walking home.

Reynolds conjures ten tales (one per block) about what happens after the dismissal bell rings, and brilliantly weaves them into one wickedly funny, piercingly poignant look at the detours we face on the walk home, and in life.