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Parents' Guide to

Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks

By Barbara Saunders, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Moving, interwoven stories of Black middle schoolers.

Book Jason Reynolds Literary Fiction 2019
Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

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age 11+

Based on 5 parent reviews

Kimberly R.
Kimberly R. Parent of 11-year-old
March 12, 2021
age 12+

Around a Neighborhood

These are short stories that focus in on different kids' experiences around a neighborhood. Each child has a story. There is pain and humor. It's real life scenarios. Parents can hope for only Beezus and Ramona type childhoods for their kids but that isn't reality. I like that this helps kids understand what friendships may ask from them - comfort, attention, and deep caring.
Rachel2008
Rachel2008 Adult
February 22, 2021
age 15+

Inappropriate

I had the reviews of this book and so I very was shocked by some of the words and social situations described in this book. We stopped reading it mid chapter and mid book. Although the words were easy reading for a 10 year old the subject matters were not.
See all 5 parent reviews

What's the Story?

LOOK BOTH WAYS is a set of short stories that add up to a portrait of the lives of a group of Black middle school children. Each chapter tells the story of an individual or ensemble on a particular block. And what a cast: a girl skateboarding whiz who's lost her older sister (who was also a skateboarding whiz); a group of kids who wear buzz cuts in solidarity with their parents in cancer treatment; and a boy whose friends help him grapple with the new stink of puberty. The story moves by peeling back the layers of these fascinating characters as they go about the mundane events of their lives.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5 ):
Kids say (3 ):

This poignant book captures the roller-coaster of emotions that go along with middle school life: humor, sadness, and fear all mixed up. Look Both Ways author Jason Reynolds is a gifted poet and novelist, a National Book Award finalist whose other awards include the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent, the John Newbery Medal, and the NAACP Image Award, to name just a few. Though this book is a work of prose, it works like poetry; every word and sentence is so densely packed that the meaning comes to life from images without a lot of action or plot.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the bullying in Look Both Ways. Does it seem realistic to you? How can someone who's been bullied almost start bullying others himself?

  • The kids in Look Both Ways are all coping with events in the world that are beyond their control: sick parents, changes in their bodies, a dog that might bite. What character strengths do kids use to handle their troubles?

  • In every chapter, the author weaves in the image of a school bus falling from the sky. Which one was your favorite?

Book Details

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Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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