From Kirkus: "A fascinating work of historical fiction that showcases a well-developed, likable protagonist and presents Cline-Ransome at her best."

Sweet character, a librarian. ( )

This story is set in 1946, the year after WWII ended. Langston and his father have moved north from Alabama during the Great Migration seeking work and a new life after Langston's mom passed away due to illness. It never directly states, but it seems that Langston's parents were sharecroppers in Alabama based on some statements about "working the land" and "going further into debt" to the landowner. Langston is a fish out of water in Chicago, kids make fun of him because he is from the country, and he deeply misses his mom. He happens upon a library one day as he is fleeing his bullies, and is amazed that such a place exists. The librarian introduces him to the poet Langston Hughes, and he spends every day after school reading poetry and remembering his mom and old home. I recommend this book for 2nd grade and up.

This lyrical book is short and moving. A lovely tale about change, about pasts, and finding home in new places. After the death of his mother Langston and his father move up north. Langston’s new home is lonely and alien. He misses his mom and his grandmother who is still down south. His father is mourning their loss and isn’t able to give Langston the home he needs.

Langston comes across a library, a place he was never allowed to enter in Jim Crow South. In this new sanctuary Langston finds friendship and connection he needs. He finds new family in books, poetry, classmates. He finds connections between poetry and his mother, opening up a new doorway for him and his father.
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After his mother dies, Langston and his father are forced to move to Chicago where everything feels foreign and fast. Homesick and lost in the City, Langston stumbles into a library that would change his life forever. What he learns there about his own namesake and his family history may just be the thing he needs to be able to move forward. Set in the great migration, we learn about the struggles of discrimination and poverty that many Black Americans faced trying to make it in a country that tried to make it difficult for them to survive.

This short, moving novel is a joy to read and an inspiration of self-discovery. Langston is able to make sense of his life through the poetry and books he reads at his local library, demonstrating the power of the written word and of finding authors whose work resonates in our souls. ( )