Published by Holiday House

Summary:  Lymon lives with his grandparents, Pops and Ma, in Mississippi. His daddy’s been in jail for as long as Lymon can remember, and he has no memory of the mother who left him to go live in Chicago.  But he loves his grandparents, and especially enjoys learning to play guitar with his grandfather. But when Pops dies, everything changes. Ma and Lymon are forced to go live in Milwaukee, where his aunt and uncle can help take care of them.  Although his father’s gotten out of jail, he’s on the road playing music much of the time, so when Ma gets sick with diabetes, Lymon is sent to Chicago to live with the mother he doesn’t know. She’s married to a man named Robert, who resents having to take care of Lymon, and beats him regularly.  Lymon starts acting out, becoming the bully we met in Finding Langston, stealing money, and running away from home.  He ends up in a home for boys, where a caring music teacher puts him back on the right track.  It’s clear Lymon’s got a rough road ahead, but the ending offers some hope for a better future for him.  Includes an author’s note with more information on the time period. 198 pages; grades 4-8.

Pros:  It’s been long enough since I read Finding Langston that I’ve forgotten the character of Lymon, but I enjoyed getting to know him in his own story.  His voice rings true, and he shows a lot of resilience in the face of overwhelmingly difficult circumstances.  Cline-Ransome has done an excellent job of showing how bullies are made not born, and readers will empathize with Lymon and understand why he does what he does.

Cons:  I didn’t find Lymon’s story quite as engaging and uplifting as Langston’s.

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