Vaunda Micheaux Nelson

Radiant, set in 1964, is told in verse, nothing flowery or intimidating, it reads simply and quickly while still hitting the emotions in all the right places.

As an adult reader I wouldn’t have minded a bit more historical detail, but I think for the intended middle-grade audience, this was just about right in the way it touched on historical events (the church bombing in Alabama, JFK’s assassination) in a way that didn’t get bogged down in long dense info dumps that could cause a kid show more reader’s interest to wane.

Cooper, our sweetheart of a main character, is the target of racism to the extent where at times she wishes she were white, all of the moments related to that are a tough read as they should be, and still sadly relevant. There were a few moments in Cooper’s dealings with a racist classmate where I did wonder whether there are many kids or even adults for that matter, who would handle that with as much I guess, generosity, as Cooper does, but regardless of how realistic that would be for most flawed human beings to live up to, Cooper’s certainly a good example to aspire to, even if you can’t get there quite as consistently as she does.

I liked that a certain situation was presented as more complicated than just being entirely about Cooper’s empathy for someone else, something like that could make anyone contemplate something similar happening in their own life and this did a good job of showing how anxiety inducing those kinds of thoughts can be no matter your age.

All I’ve talked about here so far are the more difficult things Cooper’s going through over the course of this novel, but the author does include some nice moments with a teacher, friends, and with Cooper’s family (some involving a love for the Beatles), that add enough light for this to feel like a balanced read. show less

In 1963 Pennsylvania, a Black girl negotiates the impact of race on her journey to thrive.

For precocious fifth grader Cooper Dale, life is good. Mostly. She has a loving family and lots of hobbies, but she also has a secret: Sometimes, she wishes she were white. Not that she’s ashamed to be Black—“At church / I’m proud to be brown … / … I breathe, breathe, breathe in / the church feeling. / I store it inside me / and carry it / to school.” But if she wasn’t the only Black show more student in her class, maybe her racist bully would leave her alone and she could really shine, like her mama says she should. As she navigates life’s ups and downs—the assassination of JFK, the rise of Beatlemania, her conflicted feelings about her mother’s being a cleaner—Cooper reflects on the impact of skin color in the world around her and wonders how she can let meanness and unfairness roll off her back. The era’s more pernicious racist aspects are handled obliquely. This verse novel examines complex themes of identity, forgiveness, self-love, and self-actualization through writing that’s accessible to young readers. Nelson intentionally and deftly uses details to situate the novel with history, and she’s crafted an endearing, three-dimensional protagonist in Cooper, whose voice and authentic struggle to make sense of her experiences will resonate in a work that presents fertile ground for discussion.

A complex yet accessible exploration of self-actualization, presented in full color. (Verse historical fiction. 10-14)

-Kirkus Review show less

Beautiful book that just flows -- open it and fall in. I love Cooper's inherent fairness, her empathy, her thoughtful reactions, her joy. The moments when she breathes in goodness to deal with the hard crap that is endemic racism. The moments when she feels a pure and shining love for her family. Her relationship with a hard but fair teacher. It's a book that's packed with learning how to handle yourself in 5th grade. It's a book about finding personal ways to shine. Radiant in being as well show more as name. show less

Born into slavery in Texas, in 1838, Bass Reeves would go on to become one of the most celebrated U.S. Marshals of his day, before slipping into an undeserved obscurity. Thankfully, Vaunda Micheaux Nelson is here to set young readers straight, and tell them the story of this dedicated lawman, and his efforts to bring safety and order to the Indian Territories (modern-day Oklahoma). Hired by Judge Isaac Parker, Reeves worked tirelessly to track down outlaws and lawbreakers, and, although show more willing and able to use violence, did not embrace it. Of his more than three thousand arrests, only fourteen resulted in death - an astonishing record for that time and place! Known for being incorruptible - he once arrested his own son, Benjamin, on a charge of murder - he won the respect of many of the people of the Territory, despite resistance (on the part of some) to the idea of a black lawman. He served for an incredible thirty-two years.

This engrossing book presents an exciting but little known chapter from the history of the American West, and is sure to appeal to young readers with an interest in that time and place, or who enjoy tales of outlaws (Belle Starr appears!) and the lawmen who opposed them. As other reviewers have noted, Nelson's narrative has the feeling of a Tall Tale, while R. Gregory Christie's bold illustrations capture the excitement of the story. I'd never heard of Bass Reeves before picking up this book, and am glad to have that omission rectified. show less