Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks - Jason Reynolds - ★★★★.½

AUTHOR: Jason Reynolds

ILLUSTRATOR: Alexander Nabaum

GENRE: Middle-grade story collection.

RATING: 4.5 stars.

A wonderful collection of ten stories all set around a common theme of children walking home from school. The characters overlap in a few of the stories but the main character(s) are distinct for each tale.

This isn’t a typical children’s anthology and these are the reasons why:

👉 So many authors steer clear of "taboo" topics -- parental illness, deaths, abuse, bullying, homosexuality -- and make children's fiction goody-goody happy experiences. Not Jason Reynolds.

👉 So many authors will try to incorporate higher level vocabulary in their works so that the book ends up as an "educational" experience for its young readers. Not Jason Reynolds. A tardigrade isn't called a tardigrade, it's a water bear. That's indicative of an author who knows what his readers enjoy.

👉 Show me one author who can write a story around boogers and still make it so heartfelt... Imagine a middle grader deciding on a book. Will boogers appeal to him? Heck, yeah! The book is full of wit that will appeal to its target readers.

👉 "Stop acting like children, children." - the one sentence all teenage children will identify with. And that's what they want from books - something that resonates with them! All the stories deal with things that happen in regular children's lives, with a bit of pizzazz added to make them snazzier. Video games, ice-creams, school buses, homework,... Everything that actual children can connect with. And what child wouldn't love to know the mystery of the falling school bus!?

👉 One would assume that Jason Reynolds writes for black or brown kids. But if you see carefully, nowhere is the skin tone or race of the child mentioned outright. There are references to dreadlocks and Afros. But the stories could be about any child who feels invisible. I loved how the stories catered to the underdog. The main characters are all average children, not exceptional in any way except for their situation.

👉 The back cover of the book declares in big, bold letters: “How You Gon’ Change the World?” Every single child in this book is taking baby steps towards changing the world around them. Isn't that the best place to begin? Charity begins at home, after all. What a beautiful way for children to know that every little gesture of theirs makes a difference!

Many of the stories provided what I call the "Kite Runner" kind of ending: bittersweet, not complete, but with enough of a clue to know what might happen next. It's the toughest kind of ending to pull off, and I found it working well in this book. But this isn’t something that works for many short story readers, and I'm honestly not sure of how this particular style of ending will work for children. But I loved most of the endings and so I’ll not hold it against the book.

I am sure it is clear by now how much I adored this book. Here’s a brief feedback and individual ratings of the ten stories:

1. Water Booger Bears: Some people might go "Ewwww" at the sight of this title. But remember that it is written for children. This is a beautiful story of two caring friends, with a gross-yet-interesting childish conversation.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

2. The Low Cuts Strike Again: Four friends who seem to pinch pennies from other children. Are their intentions nefarious? (The ending left me teary-eyed)

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

3. Skitter-Hitter: How a broken skateboard ends up breaking more things than intended. I loved the writing style of this story, the way it was set in the hypothetical revealing the actual.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

4. How to Look (Both) Both Ways: How a child is trying her best to ‘look all ways” in her bid to feel okay and independent.

🌟🌟🌟💫

5. Call of Duty: The story of two friends who are champion video game players, until one of them realises what it means to go beyond the Call of Duty even in real life.

🌟🌟🌟🌟💫

6. Five Things Easier to do than Simeon’s and Kenzi’s Secret Handshake: If I tell you that this is the story of the biggest boy in class and the smallest boy in class, you might assume it's the David and Goliath story, a bully and a victim-turned-victor. Nothing could be further away from the truth. A wonderful story of an unlikely friendship.

🌟🌟🌟💫

7. Satchmo's Master Plan: How a little boy devises a master plan to outrun a new dog on his school route.

🌟🌟🌟🌟

8. Ookabooka Land: How a little girl takes special efforts with a large dose of humour to spread smiles in the lives of those around her.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

9. How a Boy Can Become a Grease Fire: When a boy likes a girl but knows that he “stinks” literally, he “gets by with a little help from his friends”.

🌟🌟🌟🌟

10. The Broom Dog: If you need one example to understand the power of Jason Reynolds’ imagination, this is the story to go for. (Of course, you won’t get the beauty of it unless read the first nine. 😉)

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Average of the above: 4.45, which is what this book gets from me. Rounding it up to 5 stars, because I loved it too much to round it downwards mathematically.

I'll not go into recommendations for this book. It's not written for adults and it won't work for most adults. Those who like their short stories to be neatly tied at the end with a bow on top won't enjoy this book. Those who like their writing to be surreal or have deeper meanings won't like this book. Those who think that children's writing must be full of happy topics won't like this book. But if you wish to try a slightly different kind of middle grade fiction, this could be a book you might relish for its pragmatic approach. But this will be a beautiful book for children, that's for sure. It's intelligent and entertaining and emotional, all at once.

If you are still wondering whether to try this book, I'll just say... Don't read this book with jaded, middle-aged eyes. Read it with the innocence and curiosity of childhood, remembering your befuddling teen years. Read it with your inner child awakened. Read it to meet some really brave-hearted children who are trying to change the world in their own tiny way. Read it a story at your time, taking your pace to savour the hidden beauty behind the outward simplicity.

I don't want to end before highlighting the beauty of the title. While the immediate reference is obviously to road crossings (as all the tales unfold while the children are walking home), the title also applies to the characters and our perceptions about them. For instance, if you see "Tall hefty student", you think "bully". He's not. If you read "student with injuries and doesn't want to go to school", you think "victim". He's not. If you see the boy discussing the qualities of boogers, you only see the lack of hygiene. Will you also see his caring nature towards his ill friend? If you see that a child is picking coins from wherever possible, you might see a thief. Will you also wonder what makes a child resort to such actions?

There are so many times we are quick to judge on appearance and assumptions. But we need to "look both ways" - be ready to see the other side of the picture also. Things are never what they appear to be. So, the question to ask yourself after reading this book, especially if you are an adult: do you look both ways, or do you judge on hearing just one side of the story?