Urban Legendz

Gr 5-8–After his mother dies, Dwayne reluctantly moves from Indiana to Brooklyn with his father and brother. Dwayne’s father may be a police officer, but it is Dwayne and his new group of friends who uncover the truth about Brooklyn: urban legends, like mutant alligators and giant, blood-sucking bedbugs, are real, and they are attacking people. At first, the only one who will believe Dwayne and his friends is a homeless man who takes the children to an area known as the Refuge, where displaced and forgotten people gather. But soon more people become aware of the problem. While action-packed monster fights add a supernatural element, the tale is grounded in realistic socioeconomic issues as a land developer tries to gentrify the neighborhood. Though the author never fully explains why the monsters start appearing in public all of a sudden, there are hints that it was to force the people in the community to unite. The building of a community center at the end of the book supports this theory. The narrative and artwork have a nostalgic feel, but smartphone usage sets the story in the present. Dwayne is African American, and his friends include Mya, Worm, and Cashew, so-called because he is both Catholic and Jewish. Readers will eagerly await the next installment, which takes place on Coney Island.