Gr 3–7—Eleven-year-old Wes Henderson would rather be doing anything else for his birthday than going to a
protest. He is ambivalent about the issues his community activist mother holds dear until gentrification causes
changes in his own neighborhood of Kensington Oaks, dividing his friend group and the community as a whole.
Giles's debut is a timely coming-of-age story of a Black boy grappling with personal growth and enacting change on
a micro and macro level.

Slowwww start but becomes charming once you get into it. Take Back the Block makes gentrification, community organizing, and activism digestible and simple for kids. The way all the loose ends come together at the end was great.

Also, love the cover!

TW: Police brutality

3.5 ( )

Sixth grader Wes, his parents, and his friends are all concerned with a fancy developer offers to buy out the homeowners in their neighborhood so they can replace the generational houses with new condos. Can they put a stop to this trend -- especially when they can't even all agree if it's a bad thing?

This book tackles the important topic of gentrification and explores a lot of aspects of it, including what role kids can play when their world feels out of control. Wes is portrayed as a sweet and smart kid, with parents who support him. These reasons, along with the appealing cover, made me really want to like this book.

Instead I found it a bit "meh." I felt like it was trying to cover too many things at once. As unrealistic as it can be, it's helpful when a book gives a child only one or two really close friends; Wes has five best friends in this book and exploring how they interact with him and with each other is a lot. Several of their stories end up getting short shrift as a result.

I would still recommend this book to kids who like realistic fiction, particularly any that shows kids like them in action to fight for social justice issues. I don't think this book has a ton of crossover appeal for older readers, but it is well enough suited for the target audience of middle schoolers. ( )

"Wes Henderson wants to focus on championing his swag in middle school but instead confronts a larger challenge as his neighborhood is threatened by the forces of gentrification.

Giles debuts with a novel that provides a probing look into the complex topic of gentrification and its ever present reality for low-income urban Black neighborhoods. Wes, a Black boy and the only child of two community activist parents, would rather spend his time getting fresh to defend his fifth grade Best Dressed title than be out every weekend protesting in the hot sun. However, he’s beginning to notice the accumulating effects of neighborhood shifts; his longtime friend Kari’s family was just pushed out of their home, and there’s the arrival of new stores that ask you to “build-your-own burger” and “grind-your-own coffee.” The tensions are even beginning to affect his longtime crew as the friends navigate their own different positions. What shines throughout the book is the power of intergenerational community organizing, as the text does an admirable job of highlighting the practices and networks for defending one’s home, chosen family, and history. Younger readers may require support in decoding and connecting some of the complex concepts in this book; it could sit at the center of a transformative collective reading experience. The story echoes contemporary realities that, as its culmination indicates, take an entire community to confront, and it will undoubtedly push readers into action.

An ambitious invitation for young readers that delivers promise for all. (author's note) (Fiction. 9-13)" A Kirkus Starred Review, www.kirkusreviews.com