King and the Dragonflies (Scholastic Gold)

De: Kacen Callender

Narrado por: Ron Butler

Twelve-year-old Kingston James is sure his brother Khalid has turned into a dragonfly. When Khalid unexpectedly passed away, he shed what was his first skin for another to live down by the bayou in their small Louisiana town. Khalid still visits in dreams, and King must keep these secrets to himself as he watches grief transform his family.

It would be easier if King could talk with his best friend, Sandy Sanders. But just days before he died, Khalid told King to end their friendship, after overhearing a secret about Sandy - that he thinks he might be gay. "You don't want anyone to think you're gay too, do you?"

But when Sandy goes missing, sparking a town-wide search, and King finds his former best friend hiding in a tent in his backyard, he agrees to help Sandy escape from his abusive father, and the two begin an adventure as they build their own private paradise down by the bayou and among the dragonflies. As King's friendship with Sandy is reignited, he's forced to confront questions about himself and the reality of his brother's death.

©2011 Scholastic Inc (P)2020 Scholastic Inc

Beautiful

I loved.this story. I loved the way that it transported me back to being younger and figuring out who I wanted to be. I loved the way that it honestly discussed how it can feel to be Black in this world. I loved that it reflects the fear you can feel being LGBTQ+. I love that it creates a family that felt real, with all of the nuances and way that words said and unsaid define relationships. I love that it made young friendship and love so palpable. This book is beauty. This book is beauty. This. Book. Is. Beauty.

Gorgeous

Kacen is SO TALENTED! I loved Hurricane Child and King of the Dragonflies did not disappoint. Looking forward to more from Kacen.

My heart!

Such a beautiful story! Needed to read a middle grade/YA book with queer representation for a reading challenge and found this title on a Reddit post. Went in blind and couldn’t put it down! Had my heart in a tight knot from start to finish.

The believable characters and how the author humanizes the complex lives of adolescents!

This was so relatable to my own experience as a black queer trans femme! It is the first book that has encapsulated so clearly the double jeopardy of black queer identity! I was cheering for King and my younger self the whole time

Gorgeous

“The dragonflies live down by the bayou, but there’s no way to tell which one’s my brother.” I was hooked from the first line. Beautiful, moving, rich, and deep. I wish everyone would read this novel.

King Drag On

With so many young people struggling with identity issues Callender and Butler open the door for dialogue. There is so many intersectional issues that appear in the narrative, it definitely a timely peace. Anyone working with young people should find this useful for developing discussions about race, poverty, and sexual identity.

Absolutely Beautiful Story.

Grief, shame, racism, homophobia, family violence .... huge painful topics, yet these are actually struggles that many, many, children face everyday. Callender explores these topics with gentleness and compassion, showing such a lovely respect for the children in the story, and for their feelings.
What does it mean to love someone? How do we find the courage to stand up against the injustices that we can fight; how do we learn to live with those we can't?
This is a superb novel; a treasure for everyone from the age of 10 on up to 100.