I read Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero by Kelly Baptist in an advance reading copy furnished by Net Galley. It has been quite a while since I’ve stayed awake until near midnight to finish reading, but I couldn’t rest easy until Isaiah had found peace!
Kelly Baptist brings her experience as a Social Emotional Learning Interventionist to her writing to tell the story of ten-year-old Isaiah. His jobless mother finds comfort in the bottles Isaiah finds in the trash after the death of his father while he tries to maintain some normality for his inquisitive little sister Charlie even when they wind up living in a cheap motel and then homeless. Setting the stage early in the book, Isaiah lists his fears, “daddy long-leg spiders, tsunamis, and dogs” before adding “eating beans and rice every day, not being able to write poems, and having to live at Smoky Inn forever.” As if these problems were not enough, there is school where students tease him about his differences and bullies keep him in hot water.
Angel sits across from him, making snide remarks and getting him into trouble, until a few visits with the principal get the two of them sent to spend time in the Reflection Room with the counselor Mrs. Marlee. His scheming best friend, appropriately nicknamed “Sneaky,” helps him circumvent the rules and find ways to pull in a little money though it never amounts to enough to buy or rent the big house he dreams about for his family. Then there is his father’s journal with stories of the amazing Isaiah Dunn Superhero whose powers come from a diet of beans and rice. In time, Isaiah will find his own writing voice in poetry that is even more powerful.
I love finding good writers at the beginning of their careers, and I am predicting this debut middle grade novel will be on many suggested reading lists. The characters are well-drawn, and the situations are so realistic that you want to pitch in and help Isaiah in his aspirations to become the hero. Lucky for you, it goes on sale tomorrow August 18!