12 Brown Boys by Omar Tyree

A collection of short stories that feature 12 different brown boys (African American and Jamaican) in different cities and living different lifestyles.  Red-Head Mike is known and loved by all in the neighborhood, but is unhappy with his fiery red hair that makes him more noticeable, until talking to his uncle.  The Jamaica boys spend most of their time outside shooting marbles, collecting bottles, and flying kites.  William lives in Santa Monica, CA, attends a private school, and is committed to serving youth less fortunate than him.  Antwan hates reading in front of the class, and gets a surprise lesson from his father that makes this task bearable.

This book could appeal to males because of the diverse experiences shared.  The characters live in urban and suburban settings, are involved in academic, sports, and community service, have siblings or maybe the only child, and belong to both single parent and two parent families.  The book also refers to hip hop artists of which most youth are familiar.  The author tries to stay true to the character's setting by incorporating the dialect and vocabulary of the area (i.e. Brooklyn and Jamaica).  Females would also enjoy these stories, as they could see a brother and friends within these characters.

                                                                                                                                 

I would recommend this book to youth in grades 4-6 because this is the age of most of the book's characters.  Also youth at this age would be able to relate and see themselves within this book.  Whether a reader is an academic, sport-enthusiast, music lover, or some of all there is story for everyone.  The author also incorporates topics that may appeal to many young male such as comics, video games, hanging out with friends, sports, and sibling rivalry.

12 Brown Boys could be used in a father-son book club.  There is also the possibility of using in a display of “Must-Reads for Boys” and for inclusion on a “Great Book for Boys” reading list.