Name: Onyx & Beyond
Author: McBride, Amber
ISBN: [978-1-25090-878-0,1-25090-878-7]

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Onyx & Beyond

Author: McBride, Amber

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Follett Number: 2209YE6
Audience: Upper Elementary
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends, 2024
Format: 214 pages : illustration ; 22 cm
ISBN-13: 978-1-25090-878-0
ISBN-10: 1-25090-878-7
LCCN: 2024-012730
Dewey: -Fic-
Classifications: Fiction

Subjects:

African Americans Fiction

Civil Rights Movements Fiction

Dementia Fiction

Mothers and Sons Fiction

Novels in Verse

Virginia History 20th Century Fiction

"Inspired by Mario McBride." Set against the turbulence of the Civil Rights Movement, twelve-year-old Onyx dreams of becoming an astronaut as he navigates his mother's early-onset dementia and avoids foster care.

From the publisher:
Praised as "a story of perserverance and love" in a starred review by Kirkus, here is a story about keeping dreams alive. Onyx lives with his mother, who is showing signs of early-onset dementia. He doesn't want to bring attention to his home -- if Child Protective Services finds out, they'll put him into foster care. As he's trying to keep his life together, the Civil Rights Movement is accelerating. Is there anywhere that's safe for a young Black boy? Maybe, if only Onyx can fulfill his dream of becoming an astronaut and exploring space, where none of these challenges will follow him. In the meantime, Onyx can dream. And try to get his mom the help she needs. Based on her own father's story of growing up in the 1960s and facing the same challenge with his own mother, award winner Amber McBride delivers another affecting depiction of being young and Black in America.

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Audience: Upper Elementary

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