A short heads up - there is a brief dealing with homosexuality, nothing graphic, but if parents are concerned about that, they should read the book before giving it to their children. Actually, parents should read the book because it is a well-written book that has plenty of fun while addressing many serious issues that could be discussed with their children. In Holler of the Fireflies, shy 12-year-old Javari, a Black boy from Brooklyn, attends a STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) camp in rural West Virginian Appalachia. Although the subject matter is what he loves most, the thought of meeting new people is nearly enough to make him stay safely at home. The book is peopled with a huge number of characters, all of which are fleshed out whether they are main characters or one met just in passing. David Barclay Moore’s superb characterization is one of my favorite things about the novel. It is amazing how he can give us a full, interesting character in just a page or two of interaction with Javari. Javari, as a narrator, is funny, vulnerable, intelligent, and generally quite kind even to kids with racist ideas. He befriends a local boy, Cricket, who is not at the camp but who causes plenty of mischief for the camp authorities. Javari sneaks out of camp at night with Cricket, who shows him many eye-opening things in what he calls “Affrilachia”.
Moore brings up many ills of our present-day world (racism, poverty, pollution, environmental destruction) but does so in a very subtle way, making these things just part of the story. A very good book to make middle school readers think about some of these things. It would be a wonderful book to read and discuss in school.
A big thank you to NetGalley, David Barclay Moore and Knopf Books for Young Readers for this ARC. The opinions expressed are my own. ( )