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Summary
Summary
"This novel in verse, alternately narrated by two boys in 1980s Greenpoint, Brooklyn, one channeled by Elliott and one by Miller-Lachmann, eloquently tackles race, culture and life on the spectrum." -- The New York Times
For fans of Jason Reynolds and Jacqueline Woodson, this middle-grade novel-in-verse follows two boys in 1980s Brooklyn as they become friends for a season.
Punk rock-loving JJ Pankowski can't seem to fit in at his new school in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, as one of the only white kids. Pie Velez, a math and history geek by day and graffiti artist by night is eager to follow in his idol, Jean-Michel Basquiat's, footsteps. The boys stumble into an unlikely friendship, swapping notes on their love of music and art, which sees them through a difficult semester at school and at home. But a run-in with the cops threatens to unravel it all.
From authors Zetta Elliott and Lyn Miller-Lachmann, Moonwalking is a stunning exploration of class, cross-racial friendships, and two boys' search for belonging in a city as tumultuous and beautiful as their hearts.
Author Notes
Zetta Elliott is a Black feminist writer of poetry, plays, essays, novels, and stories for children. Her poetry has been published in We Rise, We Resist, We Raise our Voices , and her picture book, Bird , won the Honor Award in Lee & Low Books' New Voices Contest and the Paterson Prize for Books for Young Readers. Her picture book, A Place Inside of Me (FSG Young Readers) was heralded as a "resonant exultation of community and the importance of self-reflection." She lives in West Philadelphia.
Lyn Miller-Lachmann is an author, teacher, and librarian. As an adult, she was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome and delves into her diagnosis often in her writing. She and her husband divide their time between New York City and Lisbon, Portugal.
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
In a 1980s-set verse novel told in alternating voices, collaborators Elliott (the Dragons in a Bag series) and Miller-Lachmann (Rogue) write a tender, engrossing tribute to art and close interpersonal bonds that explores themes of neurodivergence, mental health, and institutional prejudice. After his father is blacklisted from air traffic control work on Long Island following a strike, Joseph John "JJ" Pankowski, who's Polish and reads (under today's diagnostic criteria) as autistic, moves with his family to Greenpoint, Brooklyn. There, he bonds with Puerto Rican and Congolese classmate Pierre "Pie" Velez, a graffiti artist who cares for his younger sister and mentally ill mother in nearby Los Sures. A love of art--JJ's for the Clash and Pie's of Jean-Michel Basquiat--proves an effective bridge between the middle schoolers' worlds, until a harrowing police encounter shows just how different those worlds are. Concrete poetry that weaves in occasional images and historical and pop culture references (Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash, The Chocolate War) lends a clear historicity to a narrative rooted in time and place. Authors' notes contextualize the story's origins. Ages 10--14. Agents: Johanna Castillo, Writers House (for Elliott) and Jacqui Lipton, Storm Literary (for Miller-Lachmann). (Apr.)
Horn Book Review
Through alternating first-person accounts, and with varied poetic styles, Elliott (A Place Inside of Me, rev. 11/20) and Miller-Lachmann (Rogue, rev. 9/13) present a thoughtfully structured and sensitively rendered verse novel set in early-1980s Brooklyn featuring two memorable protagonists. Seventh grader Pierre "Pie" Velez is an Afro-Latino with a brilliant mind and an artistic talent, both of which shine in the art room and in his graffiti tags (his narration ranges from concrete poetry to tricubes). Most of Pie's time is devoted to taking care of his younger sister and their mother, who experiences "nervous attacks." New classmate Joseph John "JJ" Pankowski (who narrates in more straightforward free verse) and his family have arrived in Brooklyn under the cover of night, after his father is blacklisted for union activity. Having been labeled with multiple learning disabilities, JJ is surprised to find himself in honors class at his new public school, until he realizes how disproportionately white students like him are chosen as honor students. Pie and JJ make a halting attempt at friendship, and Pie's explanations of lessons help JJ follow along in school. Outside racial tensions soon overshadow the relationship, and Pie and JJ are left to wonder whether it can survive. Both authors are adept at evocatively re-creating the setting, with references ranging from Ronald Reagan's anti-union stance to Jean-Michel Basquiat, Michael Jackson, and the Clash. Authors' notes give background on various aspects of the novel, including autism as a likely diagnosis for JJ, using today's terms. Eboni Njoku May/June 2022 p.142(c) Copyright 2022. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Alternating perspectives explore an interracial friendship forged amid family turmoil and societal injustice and tension in pre-gentrification Brooklyn. After Joseph John "JJ" Pankowski's father is blacklisted for participating in the 1981 air traffic controllers' strike, his family moves from Long Island to his father's childhood home in Brooklyn, where his Polish grandmother still lives. They leave behind the Catholic school where JJ was bullied as well as his older sister--rarely mentioned, for reasons that JJ, who is cued as autistic, doesn't yet understand. One of the few White students at his new middle school, JJ observes: "Things / That / Make / No / Sense. // One out of twenty kids / in the school / but one out of four kids / in honors class." There he meets Pierre "Pi" Velez, a Puerto Rican and Congolese "genius kid" and graffiti artist who struggles to care for his mother, who has mental illness, and younger half sister in the predominantly Spanish-speaking neighborhood of Los Sures. The boys become friends via their shared love of art: For JJ, it's music, especially the Clash, and for Pi, it's artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. An encounter with the police highlights the differences between them, threatening their friendship. The coauthors' equally strong contributions evocatively bring the characters and setting to life through visual poetry. The even pacing makes for an engrossing read, and the characters' pain and promise will remain with readers. A stellar, hauntingly beautiful narrative. (authors' notes, sources) (Verse novel. 11-15) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Set in 1980's Brooklyn, Moonwalking evokes the challenges of a cross-racial friendship in a time and place that was highly diverse but not always accepting. The story is told in alternating--voice verse, and readers enter the lives and thoughts of "Pie" Velez, an Afro-Latinx middle schooler who is the ultimate history and math geek, and J. J. Pankowski, one of the few white kids at school, who also exhibits traits of autism (though undiagnosed). As the two get to know each other, Pie's other passion (graffiti art--his inspiration is Jean-Michel Basquiat) and J. J.'s (music) are shared, and they form a tenuous bond. Then an incident involving both boys, spray paint, and the police occurs that could change everything, as J. J. is taken home with a warning and Pie experiences something very different. In an authentic look at the racial divide that continues today, authors Elliott and Miller-Lachman bring varying degrees of own-voices authenticity to the characterizations and emotions represented. Their multilayered exposure of a specific time in history will resonate with modern readers, who will see these racist acts echoed all too loudly in current events. This is not an easy read, but it's tellingly effective and worth pondering and re-reading.
