★ 04/01/2022

Gr 4–8—First came Kendi's Stamped from the Beginning, awarded the 2016 National Book Award. Then Reynolds with Kendi presented (and narrated) " A Remix" with 2020's Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You for young adults. Middle grade audiences get their own version, distilled by educator/activist Cherry-Paul and read by Pe'Tehn Raighn-Kem Jackson, a tween phenom who began publicly performing poetry at three. Reading since she was 18 months, her fluency is prodigious, her pacing exacting. She's especially effective in the "Let's PAUSE/Let's UNPAUSE" interstitials that offer further explication or background. Cherry-Paul writes to draw readers into conversations, asking questions, inviting—if not out-loud answers—deep thinking and reflecting. Jackson's exceptional performance enlivens a powerful peer-to-peer exchange. VERDICT All libraries should provide easy access to every iteration of the "Stamped" series in every medium; stock with The 1619 Project: Born on the Water to encourage and enable every age group in their anti-racist journeys.

How better to communicate this vital history of racism in America to its young audience than to have the audiobook narrated by a peer? Nine-year-old Pe’Tehn Raighn-Kem Jackson hits it out of the park with her lively and engaging reading. Her voice and delivery are unmistakably those of a kid—and she's an inspired casting choice. Short chapters, ideal for listening to one at a time followed by time for discussion and reflection, connect the history of racist ideas with what is still happening in America today. The audiobook’s timeline continues through 2020, addressing the COVID-19 pandemic and recent police violence against Black people. Jackson’s relatable performance increases the accessibility of this important, sobering, and inspiring work for young listeners. J.M.D. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2022 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

Praise for Stamped (for Kids)

A 2022 ALA Notable Children’s Book
#1 New York Times bestseller
A Parents Magazine Best Book of the Year
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
A New York Public Library Best Book for Kids
A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Selection
A 2020 American Library Association Notable Book
 

* “Exhilarating, excellent, necessary.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* “A wonderfully accessible version of the already seminal work for teens.”—School Library Journal, starred review

Praise for Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You:
#1 New York Times bestseller
#1 IndieBound bestseller
USAToday bestseller 
Wall Street Journal bestseller
2020 Kirkus Prize finalist
A TIME Magazine Ten Best Children’s and YA Books of the Year​
A Parents Magazine best book of the year
A Washington Post Best Children's Book of the Year
A Publishers Weekly best book of the year
An SLJ best book of the year
 "An amazingly timely and stunningly accessible manifesto for young people....At times funny, at times somber but always packed with relevant information that is at once thoughtful and spot-on, Stamped is the book I wish I had as a young person and am so grateful my own children have now."—Jacqueline Woodson, bestselling and National Book Award-winning author of Brown Girl Dreaming

"Sheer brilliance....An empowering, transformative read. Bravo."—Jewell Parker Rhodes, New York Times bestselling author of Ghost Boys

"Teens are often searching for their place in the world, in Stamped, Reynolds gives context to where we are, how we got here, and reminds young people-and all of us-that we have a choice to make about who we want to be. This unapologetic telling of the history of racism in our nation is refreshingly simple and deeply profound. This is the history book I needed as a teen."—Renée Watson, New York Timesbestselling and Newbery Honor-winning author of Piecing Me Together

"Jason Reynolds has the amazing ability to make words jump off the page. Told with passion, precision, and even humor, Stamped is a true story-a living story-that everyone needs to know."—Steve Sheinkin, New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of Bomb and Born to Fly

"The R-word: Racism. Some tuck tail and run from it. Others say it's no longer a thing. But Dr. Kendi breaks it down, and Jason Reynolds makes it easy to understand. Mark my words: This book will change everything."—Nic Stone, #1 bestselling author of Dear Martin

"If knowledge is power, this book will make you more powerful than you've ever been before."—Ibi Zoboi, author of the National Book Award finalist American Street

"Reading this compelling not-a-history book is like finding a field guide to American racism, allowing you to quickly identify racist ideas when you encounter them in the wild."—Dashka Slater, author of The 57 Bus

"Reynolds's engaging, clear prose shines a light on difficult and confusing subjects....This is no easy feat."—The New York Times Book Review

"the must-read book of the moment...potent and provocative"—San Francisco Chronicle

* "Readers who want to truly understand how deeply embedded racism is in the very fabric of the U.S., its history, and its systems will come away educated and enlightened. Worthy of inclusion in every home and in curricula and libraries everywhere. Impressive and much needed."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "An epic feat... More than merely a young reader's adaptation of Kendi's landmark work, Stamped does a remarkable job of tying together disparate threads while briskly moving through its historical narrative."—Bookpage, starred review

* "Required reading for everyone, especially those invested in the future of young people in America."—Booklist, starred review

* "Reynolds and Kendi eloquently challenge the common narrative attached to U.S. history. This adaptation, like the 2016 adult title, will undoubtedly leave a lasting impact. Highly recommended for libraries serving middle and high school students."—School Library Journal, starred review

* "Eye-opening...this engaging overview offers readers lots to think about and should spark important conversations about this timely topic."—School Library Connection, starred review

* "Reynolds (Look Both Ways) lends his signature flair to remixing Kendi's award-winning Stamped from the Beginning...Told impressively economically, loaded with historical details that connect clearly to current experiences, and bolstered with suggested reading and listening selected specifically for young readers, Kendi and Reynolds's volume is essential, meaningfully accessible reading."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Thorough and educational…fresh and conversational...”—TIME Magazine

★ 06/04/2021

Gr 4–8—In this adaptation of Reynolds and Kendi's award-winning Stamped from the Beginning, Cherry-Paul uses a rope analogy to examine unjust racial hierarchy ideas and concepts. Throughout history, this rope has been used by the dominant culture to tie oppressed people to a corrupt ideology. It has also been used as a symbol of the power struggle bet2ween antiracist and racist thought patterns. This young readers edition assesses how the symbols and monuments of flawed heroes affect our country today. Kids who are just learning about the world around them will now have the tools to begin to understand the complicated path the United States took toward the racial inequity we see today. This version of Stamped features a time line and a glossary and, most important, includes kids in the fight to dismantle racism. The concepts of segregationist, assimilationist, and antiracist are simplified and presented in terms that tweens can understand. Cherry-Paul took the emotional development of children into account when crafting the narrative around the difficult nature of antiracist work. She effectively holds space for kids while supplying them with concepts they will need to be a part of an antiracist society. VERDICT A wonderfully accessible version of the already seminal work for teens; ideal for upper elementary and middle school libraries.—Desiree Thomas, Worthington Lib., OH

★ 2021-04-07
A remixed remix of a foundational text.

Kendi’s Stamped From the Beginning (2016) is a crucial accounting of American history, rewritten and condensed for teens by Jason Reynolds as Stamped (2020). Educator Cherry-Paul takes the breadth of the first and the jaunty appeal of the second to spin a middle-grade version that manages to be both true to its forebears and yet all her own. She covers the same historical ground, starting with the origins of anti-Blackness and colonialism in medieval Europe, then taking readers through the founding of the U.S.A. and up to the present, with focuses on pivotal figures and pieces of pop culture. Cherry-Paul does an unparalleled job of presenting this complex information to younger readers, borrowing language from Reynolds’ remix (like the definitions of segregationists, assimilationists, and antiracists) and infusing it with her own interpretations, like the brilliant, powerful, haunting metaphor of rope woven throughout. “Rope can be a lifeline,” she says, and “rope can be a weapon….Rope can be used to tie, pull, hold, and lift.” Readers are encouraged to “Think about the way rope connects things. Now think about what racist ideas have been connected to so far: Skin color. Money. Religion. Land.” Baker’s stark portraiture paces the text and illustrates key players.

Exhilarating, excellent, necessary. (timeline, glossary, further reading.) (Nonfiction. 10-14)