Day: May 31, 2024

Review: Somewhere in Darkness

“Jimmy sat in the corner looking out of the window as Mama Jean packed his bag. It was all too sudden. He didn’t know what to think, or how to think. Mama Jean came over to him and wiped his face with the edge of the bedspread. She forced a smile through her tears.” page 35

Somewhere in Darkness by Walter Dean Myers.
Apple Signature, Scholastic, New York, 1992.
Contemporary/historical fiction, 168 pages.
Lexile: 640L .
AR Level: 4.4 (worth 6.0 points) .
NOTE: Despite the reading level, this follows a tenth grader.

Nearly fifteen, Jimmy’s living in Harlem with Mama Jean, not having much direction in life, when his long-absent father suddenly shows up and wants to take him to Chicago. Jimmy starts on the road trip only to find more questions than answers.

Somewhere in Darkness by Walter Dean Myers (cover art by Scott Gladden).

Although Walter Dean Myers should be an incomparable author, throughout this book my mind kept flashing to two more recent books. One was Nic Stone’s Clean Getaway, which involves a sudden cross-country family road trip with similar vibes – although that protagonist, and intended reading age, are younger.

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