Very deep issues are presented in this book. King is friends with a boy named Sandy Sanders who confides he is gay. King then abruptly ends the friendship, as his older brother Khalid cautions..."you don't want people to think you're gay too."
After Khalid suddenly dies, King can't bring himself to reconcile with Sandy, whom he misses. When Sandy goes missing, King worries that harm has come to his friend.
Although it is a good plot, the characters need more development. Even though the story is told from King's point of view, he seems to change his point of view halfway through the story. ( )

Gr 4–9—The sudden and inexplicable loss of his older brother consumes King as he attempts to navigate his
changing relationships and connect with the dragonfly he believes Khalid has become in the afterlife. When his
former friend goes missing, only King knows the real reason, and he struggles to balance his emotions with his
desire to help. Callender deftly ties sexuality, abuse, racism, grief, and the hard parts of friendship into this fastpaced tale of self-discovery and hope.

I read this for a class but it was actually really good and I enjoyed all the social commentary in it. It's a very strong book and I think would be a good book for a class of 8th graders to consider things about, but there's always the school system you have to convince to let you teach it to kids. This book discusses sexism, lgbt, poc topics, communication, and acceptance of self and others and I think it's done very well. ( )

Beautifully written and very engaging. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was superb. The cover art plus the grief theme made me expect a more solemn book, but King is a lively first-person narrator. The voice made me think of [b:Bud, Not Buddy|368468|Bud, Not Buddy|Christopher Paul Curtis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388377422l/368468._SY75_.jpg|358453] in the sense that kids experiencing hard times can still have an optimistic POV.

There is a connection here to another classic, [b:A Wrinkle in Time|33574273|A Wrinkle in Time (Time Quintet, #1)|Madeleine L'Engle|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1507963312l/33574273._SX50_.jpg|948387], too. King and his brother discuss mindbending metaphysical stuff that will likely spark interesting discussions. In this way, it's reminiscent of [b:Maybe a Fox|25785754|Maybe a Fox|Kathi Appelt|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1435872440l/25785754._SY75_.jpg|45636443]. Both books ask a big question: What happens to our souls when we die?

This is the second middle-grade book I've read recently that dives into the intersection of being Black and being part of the LGBTQ community (the other one is [b:The Only Black Girls in Town|42775752|The Only Black Girls in Town|Brandy Colbert|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1566883559l/42775752._SX50_.jpg|66533320]). Keep it up, kidlit publishers! ( )

King's story is about grief, getting your parents to listen to you, and trying to be honest when it might even mean losing the people you love. King's big brother just died suddenly, and shortly after that his former best friend goes missing. King wasn't speaking to his friend anymore, but that doesn't mean he wants him lost in Louisiana or eaten by an alligator. When he stumbles upon a secret he doesn't know who to tell or what to do. This story is intense, and SO good! It will transport you to a small, hot town in Louisiana where everybody is always talking about everyone else's business, and King is trying to get on with his life. ( )