ISAIAH DUNN SAVES THE DAY

After experiencing homelessness, a boy and his family continue to find their footing.

In this sequel to Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero (2021), the titular protagonist, his mother, and his younger sister, Charlie, are settled into Miz Rita’s apartment. Isaiah’s musings, divided into brief chapters, each headed by a date, reflect how he settles into a more stable, though still unhoused, life as Mama, Charlie, and he start college, kindergarten, and middle school, respectively. Isaiah and his friend and business partner Angel scale up their poetry-writing business as well as participate in the Rockets Reach Back, a conflict-resolution program in which the middle school graduates of the parent program, Rocket ReStore—where Isaiah and Angel settled their own antagonism toward each other—mentor elementary school students. At first reluctant and then with Mama’s encouragement, Isaiah agrees to serve as a guide for Kobe Love, a third grader who loves basketball and bragging about his father (who he says is playing basketball overseas) and who often disrupts class. For all the encouraging words Isaiah has received and given to adults and to his contemporaries, will his words reach Kobe, who, like Isaiah, has his own struggles? While the first novel felt more like a list of issues Isaiah faced, the plot in this story moves along at a better pace. Isaiah’s voice rings true, and his conflicts will resonate with readers, as will his efforts to support those around him. Characters present as Black.

A gentle journey of community love.