Garvey in the Dark

A way for young people to reflect on a troubled time.

Gr 4-8--This companion novel to Garvey's Choice follows Garvey's experiences living through the changes and upsets in 2020 that the start of the pandemic brought. Told in the modern form of tanka poems (31 syllables in five lines), this novel in verse, set in Southern California, shows the routine of daily life for Garvey--being with friends, going to school, attending church, creating music--and the increasing whispers of illness, death, and the looming threat of the "Invisible Beast" (as Garvey and his friend Manny call it). Garvey's mother, a teacher, begins to work from home while his father, an essential worker, still must leave the house, risking exposure to the virus. As Garvey, who is Black, becomes stuck inside more than ever, he longs to participate in the BLM protests sweeping the world in the aftermath of the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. He learns to manage his worries through a supportive family, his deep attachment to music, and books. As Garvey notes as the start of the book, the pandemic has left him different but also the same, a feeling many young readers may relate to. Though it feels rushed at times, this quick read, both in pacing and format, is a moving reflection on our recent past and the ongoing pandemic. Grimes, with her characteristic graceful, emotive poetry, incisively captures and uncertainty, exhaustion, fear, and isolation of the era. VERDICT Top-notch writing with wide appeal. A hopeful tool for processing the pandemic, which has occupied a significant portion of students' young lives.--Amanda MacGregor

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Garvey in the Dark is more than a beautifully crafted novel in verse. It's a story that faces news headlines and captures the wild emotional roller coaster of the COVID-19 pandemic with honesty and courage. A must-read for young people who lived through the early days of the outbreak as well as those who will be curious about it in years to come. —Kate Messner, New York Times bestselling author

"Few things could induce me to relive the first years of the pandemic; the invitation to read a spectacular book by Nikki Grimes is one of them. With deceptive simplicity, Grimes captures characters and emotions by wielding a poetic form—the tanka—with superb and superhuman strength, and the result is a beautiful and brilliant book about how faith, grace, and familial love can help us triumph over adversity. In Garvey, a gentle and thoughtful musician, Grimes has created an alternative male role model, whose heroism lies in kindness. If you're already a friend of Garvey's you will surely rejoice in this reunion and if you haven't met him yet, here's your chance! This sequel is as much a triumph as Garvey's Choice—a stunning example of how much can be accomplished with few words in the hands of a masterful poet." —Padma Venkatraman, Walter Award-winning author of The Bridge Home

★ "What kids in school had to go through - seeing their parents scared and/sick, missing their friends, and watching the world fall to complete disarray - is an almost impossible scenario, and Nikki Grimes captures it in well-written, poignant poetry. She uses the tanka form, crafting Garvey's emotional journey from happiness, doubt, frustration, desperation, and near grief into crisp stanzas, articulating all of his feelings with short, well-placed phrases of dialogue." —Youth Services Book Review, starred review

"With poignant clarity and in elegant verse, Grimes calls up the confusion, hope, and fear of the beginning of the pandemic...this offers a compelling chance to reflect on the discomfort of living through what will surely become fraught history." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"[A] moving reflection on our recent past and the ongoing pandemic. Grimes, with her characteristic graceful, emotive poetry, incisively captures the uncertainty, exhaustion, fear, and isolation of the era. Top-notch writing with wide appeal. A hopeful tool for processing the pandemic, which has occupied a significant portion of students' young lives." —School Library Journal

Grimes conveys many of the elements specific to Black life in 2020, focusing on how families adapted to Covid, not knowing whether a lasting resolution would arrive. [T]his story...tackles themes of family, friendship, grief, and coping with injustice and will inspire dialogue about this chaotic period as well as a sense of hope and healing. A way for young people to reflect on a troubled time. —Kirkus Reviews

Written in sequences of five-line tanka poems, a haiku-like form, this verse novel transports readers back to the early pandemic months through Garvey's experiences. The poems vividly express his thoughts and emotions as he, his family, and his friends deal with unwanted changes in their lives as well as the underlying dread of COVID-19. This engaging sequel will resonate with many readers. —Booklist