The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze

Gr 6 Up–Barnes makes his middle grade debut with a masterly and searing account of a Black teen football prodigy. Henson Blayze is such a phenomenal athlete that he is starting and starring on the high school varsity team, despite only being 13. He is worshipped wherever he goes and treated like royalty in his small Mississippi town; treatment that, thankfully, does not corrupt Henson’s devotion to his family’s vineyard, father, and young neighbor, whom he treats like a little brother. However, when a vicious racist attack occurs, Henson learns of his community’s true thoughts about his value as a Black boy, and he must choose between entertaining the masses and standing up for justice. Barnes includes riveting historical storytelling elements, light magical realism, and an ample amount of truth about the treatment of Black people in the United States, especially in the sports and entertainment industry.