What The Fireflies Knew
What up book people? Make sure you are following me @iamcaseyrkelley on all platforms. The best way to save the books from these videos is to follow me on Pinterest. I add all the books from this series over there so you can pin them to create a board that is a reading list. So now for today’s book. It’s What The Fireflies Knew by Kai Harris.
This one is listed as adult fiction. But the main character is 10 and it is a beautiful coming of age story which can appeal to a Young Adult reader. So even though you won’t find it in the Y A section of the bookstore, I think it is fine for high school students. Definitely check StoryGraph for the content warnings before reading all books. This one mentions a few.
Aight so KB and her older sister lose their father to an overdose. Their mom is having a difficult time dealing with it. So she takes the sisters to her dad’s house in Lansing, Michigan. The girls are left to spend the summer with gramps so mom can take care of her mental health. Unfortunately, they don’t really know him because there was some kind of falling out with their mom and grandfather. KB feels alone because her sister is isolating her out. She tries to form a relationship with the yt kids across the street only to have their racist mother forbid them from playing with her.
The story is beautifully written and watching KB’s journey feels nostalgic. I enjoyed this book so much that I selected it for the June DiversaTea Reads books box. Make sure you have this one on your summer reading list. You won’t regret it.
You’re welcome.