Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty
CCBC Review:
This painful, powerful graphic novel is based on actual events in Chicago in 1994 when an eleven-year-old boy nicknamed Yummy accidentally killed a fourteen-year-old girl in his neighborhood in a gang shooting (someone else was the target). The narrative unfolds from the perspective of a fictional classmate of Roger “Yummy” Sandifer who is reflecting on the tragic, incomprehensible events. He recounts Yummy’s difficult childhood, various perspectives on his character, and the lure of gangs that snared Yummy (and that threaten his own family). He tells about the innocent girl who died, and reveals what happened to Yummy following the shooting: On the run from police, Yummy was at first protected by members of his gang, but they murdered him a few days later. “I don’t know what’s worse, the way Yummy lived or the way he died.” The facts are harsh but the young narrator’s negotiates a bearable accounting while trying to find something to believe in. ©2010 Cooperative Children's Book Center
Illustrated by Randy DuBurke
CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 12 and older
Age Range:
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Format:
Graphic Novel
Subjects:
African Americans
Death and Dying
Perspective/Point of View
Trauma
Violence
Diversity subject:
Black/African
Publisher:
Lee & Low
Publish Year: 2010
Pages: 94
ISBN: 9781584302674
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 741.5 Neri