Finding Langston
Candlewick Press · Paperback · January 7, 2020
A Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book Winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction When eleven-year-old Langston's father moves them from their home in Alabama to Chicago's Bronzeville district, it feels like he's giving up everything he loves.
We earn from qualifying purchases.
- Who it’s for
- A boy’s move from Alabama to Chicago brings loneliness, history, and an unexpected connection through poetry.
- Themes
- Grief and loss, Belonging and displacement, Access to public spaces
- Genres
- 20th-Century U.S., US: African American Stories, Prejudice & Racism
Nearest books
Matched by what the books are about, then ordered by what their readers also loved.
Freewater (newbery & Coretta Scott King Award Winner)Amina Luqman-Dawson58% matchShares US: African American Stories
New KidJerry Craft55% matchShares Prejudice & Racism
The CrossoverKwame Alexander51% match
Before the Ever AfterJacqueline Woodson55% matchShares US: African American Stories
For older readers: Ordinary Hazards, Almost American Girl, Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom
Start with three books, and this one can be the first.
Members get a new edition every morning: a route out from their books to essays, research and talks, with the reason for each.
Start with this bookAbout this book
A Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book Winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction When eleven-year-old Langston's father moves them from their home in Alabama to Chicago's Bronzeville district, it feels like he's giving up everything he loves. It's 1946. Langston's mother has just died, and now they're leaving the rest of his family and friends. He misses everything-- Grandma's Sunday suppers, the red dirt roads, and the magnolia trees his mother loved.
Continue reading
In the city, they live in a small apartment surrounded by noise and chaos. It doesn't feel like a new start, or a better life. At home he's lonely, his father always busy at work; at school he's bullied for being a country boy. But Langston's new home has one fantastic thing. Unlike the whites-only library in Alabama, the Chicago Public Library welcomes everyone. There, hiding out after school, Langston discovers another Langston--a poet whom he learns inspired his mother enough to name her only son after him. Lesa Cline-Ransome, author of the Coretta Scott King Honor picture book Before She Was Harriet, has crafted a lyrical debut novel about one boy's experiences during the Great Migration. Includes an author's note about the historical context and her research. Don't miss the companion novel, Leaving Lymon, which centers on one of Langston's classmates and explores grief, resilience, and the circumstances that can drive a boy to become a bully-- and offer a chance at redemption. One of Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of the 21st Century (So Far) A CLA Notable Children's Book in Language Arts A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year, with 5 Starred Reviews A School Library Journal Best Book of 2018 A Junior Library Guild selection!
Home and Words
A boy’s move from Alabama to Chicago brings loneliness, history, and an unexpected connection through poetry.
Come here for
- A child’s view of the Great Migration and leaving home
- The comfort of a welcoming library and poetry
Expect
- A lyrical story of grief, belonging, and discovery
- An author’s note on historical context and research
Where it sits
| 20th-Century U.S. | 70% |
|---|---|
| US: African American Stories | 56% |
| Prejudice & Racism | 53% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- US: African American Stories
- 20th-Century U.S.
- New Experiences
- Authors
- Lesa Cline-Ransome
- Publisher
- Candlewick Press
- Published
- January 7, 2020
- Format
- Paperback
- Theme
- Grief and loss · Belonging and displacement · Access to public spaces
- Reading lane
- US: African American Stories