Black Brother, Black Brother by Rhodes, Jewell Parker

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection!

From award-winning and bestselling author, Jewell Parker Rhodes comes a powerful coming-of-age story about two brothers, one who presents as white, the other as black, and the complex ways in which they are forced to navigate the world, all while training for a fencing competition. Framed. Bullied. Disliked. But I know I can still be the best.

Sometimes, 12-year-old Donte wishes he were invisible. As one of the few black boys at Middlefield Prep, most of the students don't look like him. They don't like him either. Dubbing him "Black Brother," Donte's teachers and classmates make it clear they wish he were more like his lighter-skinned brother, Trey.

When he's bullied and framed by the captain of the fencing team, "King" Alan, he's suspended from school and arrested.

Terrified, searching for a place where he belongs, Donte joins a local youth center and meets former Olympic fencer Arden Jones. With Arden's help, he begins training as a competitive fencer, setting his sights on taking down the fencing team captain, no matter what.

As Donte hones his fencing skills and grows closer to achieving his goal, he learns the fight for justice is far from over. Now Donte must confront his bullies, racism, and the corrupt systems of power that led to his arrest.

Powerful and emotionally gripping, Black Brother, Black Brother is a careful examination of the school-to-prison pipeline and follows one boy's fight against racism and his empowering path to finding his voice.

Author: Jewell Parker Rhodes
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published: 03/03/2020
Pages: 256
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 7.70h x 5.50w x 1.20d
ISBN: 9780316493802
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 3.4
Point Value: 4
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 508461 / Black Brother, Black Brother


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 12/15/2019
Publishers Weekly 01/13/2020
School Library Journal 02/01/2020 pg. 68
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 03/01/2020
Booklist 03/01/2020 pg. 55

About the Author
Jewell Parker Rhodes is the author of Ninth Ward, winner of a Coretta Scott King Honor, Sugar, winner of the Jane Addams Children's Book Award, and the New York Times-bestselling Ghost Boys. She has also written many award-winning novels for adults. When she's not writing, Jewell visits schools to talk about her books and teaches writing at Arizona State University.