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Clayton Byrd Goes Underground

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

From beloved Newbery Honor winner and three-time Coretta Scott King Award winner Rita Williams-Garcia comes a powerful and heartfelt novel about loss, family, and love that will appeal to fans of Jason Reynolds and Kwame Alexander.

Clayton feels most alive when he's with his grandfather, Cool Papa Byrd, and the band of Bluesmen—he can't wait to join them, just as soon as he has a blues song of his own. But then the unthinkable happens. Cool Papa Byrd dies, and Clayton's mother forbids Clayton from playing the blues. And Clayton knows that's no way to live.

Armed with his grandfather's brown porkpie hat and his harmonica, he runs away from home in search of the Bluesmen, hoping he can join them on the road. But on the journey that takes him through the New York City subways and to Washington Square Park, Clayton learns some things that surprise him.

National Book Award Finalist * Kirkus Best Books of 2017 * Horn Book Best Books of 2017 * Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2017 * School Library Journal Best Books of 2017 * NAACP Image Awards Youth/Teens Winner * Chicago Public Library Best Books * Boston Globe Best Books of 2017

""This slim novel strikes a strong chord.""—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

""This complex tale of family and forgiveness has heart." —School Library Journal (starred review)

""Strong characterizations and vivid musical scenes add layers to this warm family story." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"An appealing, realistic story with frequent elegant turns of phrase."" —The Horn Book (starred review)

""Garcia-Williams skillfully finds melody in words." —Booklist (starred review)

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  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from April 3, 2017
      This slim novel strikes a strong chord. Clayton Byrd revels in playing the blues harp (harmonica) with his grandfather, Cool Papa Byrd, and other blues musicians in New York City’s Washington Square Park, and he longs to play his own solo: “Twelve bars. That was all.” Cool Papa is Clayton’s favorite relative and ally, and his sudden death throws Clayton into an emotional spiral, especially as his mother’s unresolved feelings toward her father cause her to sell off his possessions. Newbery Honor–winner Williams-Garcia (One Crazy Summer) creates a memorable cast and sketches complex, nuanced relationships, especially between Clayton and his mother, contrasting Clayton’s closeness with his grandfather to the complicated absence of Clayton’s own father. Clayton’s grief causes dustups at school and church, and the stakes and tension rise considerably as Clayton meets a band of teenage subway performers, who get him to join their show then steal his grandfather’s treasured hat. It’s a holistic portrait of a family in pain, a realistic portrait of grief and reconciliation, and a reminder that sadness and loss are wrapped up in the blues. Ages 8–12.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Narrator Adam Lazarre-White's musical rhythms enhance the author's lyricism. His soft tones express the intergenerational tenderness between Clayton and his grandfather, Cool Papa Byrd. They share a passion for music and the routine of a nightly story as Clayton drifts off to sleep. All that changes when Clayton wakes to discover that his grandfather has died. Clayton's mother's difficult past has left her no affection for the blues, or her father. She rids their home of the records and guitars that were intended for Clayton. In trouble at school and miserable at home, Clayton runs away, seeking musical connection. Instead he finds trouble that brings everything to a climax. Lazarre-White's even tone captures Clayton's circumspect temperament. His occasionally dissonant emotional notes reflect Clayton's quiet grief in a way that is honest and poignant. S.W. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
    • School Library Journal

      Starred review from May 1, 2017

      Gr 4-6-Clayton Byrd has some complicated relationships in his family. His strict, demanding mother refuses to marry his father, but allows him to be a presence in Clayton's life. Clayton adores his grandfather, "Cool Papa," though his mother does not. Cool Papa nurtures Clayton in many ways-cooking his favorite foods, reading to him each night, and teaching him the harmonica and the blues. He's allowed to tag along with Cool Papa when he and his band, the Bluesmen, busk in Washington Square Park. When Cool Papa dies unexpectedly, in a scene that is understated and heartbreaking, Clayton is devastated. His mother not only sends Clayton back to school too soon but sells or gives away all of Cool Papa's belongings, some of which were promised to Clayton. School becomes complicated when Clayton is assigned to read the very book that Cool Papa read to him every night. Clayton's plea for another book is ignored. When his frustration and grief become overwhelming, he cuts school and takes the subway, intent on finding and joining the Bluesmen. Williams-Garcia packs a lot of story in this slim book. Clayton's an appealing character, and his anger and loss are palpable. The neighborhood scenes are so vivid, one does not need to be a denizen of New York City to appreciate them. VERDICT This complex tale of family and forgiveness has heart. A first purchase.-Brenda Kahn, Tenakill Middle School, Closter, NJ

      Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Kirkus

      Starred review from March 15, 2017
      An African-American youngster is happiest when he can play his harmonica with his bluesman grandfather until tragedy removes the music from his life.Clayton Byrd idolizes his grandfather, a popular bluesman. But his mother disapproves of her father's music and of Clayton's joining Cool Papa Byrd and other bluesmen in the park. Clayton's father tries to make a place in his life, but the things he likes to do cannot compare to the music. When Cool Papa Byrd dies suddenly, Clayton's pain is almost unbearable, made worse when his mother gets rid of the records and instruments that Clayton expected would be his way of maintaining that special connection. School becomes as difficult as home, and counseling with the church pastor doesn't help. Hoping to find a place with the remaining bluesmen, he meets up with a group of street boys making their way with beat music and dance. When he plays his harmonica and the crowd responds, the boys form an uneasy alliance that is threatened when the police intervene. Clayton's love of his grandfather and his music is wonderfully drawn, as is his grief when he loses them. His mother's unresolved issues with her own childhood inform the story appropriately for young readers. The conjunction of two African-American music genres, both born of struggle, is a colorful backdrop for this lively story. Strong characterizations and vivid musical scenes add layers to this warm family story. (Fiction. 8-12)

      COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • Booklist

      Starred review from March 15, 2017
      Grades 5-8 *Starred Review* Cool Papa Byrd and the blues: the two are intertwined for Clayton, and gigs with Papa's band, the Bluesmen, are their special excursions. His mother, Papa's daughter, doesn't know, because she hates the blues, and Clayton sometimes thinks she hates her father. One night, Cool Papa dies sitting in his chair, and it's up to the boy to figure out how to live life without himand still keep the music close. Williams-Garcia's books always go deep inside the souls of their characters, but this one also digs down to find their anger. After her father's death, Ms. Byrd gets rid of all Cool Papa's things, even his beloved guitars, despite Clayton's anguish. The furious boy decides to take his blues harp and run away to find the Bluesmen. What he finds instead is a group of wild kids on the subway, beatboxing their way into a few coins and trouble, pulling him along. With the precision of a surgeon, Williams-Garcia lifts and examines layers of Clayton's hurt and anger: the loss, but also the inability of his dismissive mother to understand. Yet the book also smartly looks at Ms. Byrd's anger toward a father whose affection for music outdid his affection for her. The book's through line, though, is the music, and Williams-Garcia skillfully finds melody in words.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • ATOS Level:4.4
  • Lexile® Measure:720
  • Interest Level:4-8(MG)
  • Text Difficulty:3

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