Isaiah Dunn really is a great hero. He's extremely fully rounded between his interest in writing and poetry, his friendship with Sneaky, his desire to help his family, and his entirely understandable feelings of anger, sadness, and discomfort about his father's death, his family's money and homeless status, and a difficult situation with another classmate. The portrayal of homelessness - having a place to sleep and keep your things, but having that place be cramped, dismal, and unsustainable longterm, continuing to go your same school, and eventually being helped by a friend and community member - felt wrenching and detailed. I appreciated the variety both of adult and youth characters, not only in that they played different roles, but in that so many of them were so well-rounded.

I will say that sometimes there was a bit of an episodic quality to the book, with small sections representing a particular day sometimes just ending (e.g. the part where Isaiah's mother forgets to pick him up after a sleepover just cuts off) and occasional jumps in time that felt a bit abrupt. I also felt that the plot following Isaiah's mother's struggles with alcohol felt a little muted.

Certainly a good recommendation both as a carefully written "issues book" but also as a compellingly characterized middle grade book.

Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero is so heartwarming! A fabulous book that showcases how we cope with loss, overcome challenges and stay strong in tough times. Highly recommend and can’t wait to share with students.

This is such a fantastic story to explore the depths of homelessness and the emotions that kids experiencing this event feel and how they react. It cuts deep into loss and grief; how someone can spiral downward after an unexpected loss. The interwoven themes of friendship curating from enemies, friendship from legacies, and friendship from the start, are all situations children are experiencing today. The integrity in Isaiah Dunn is something admirable. I hope kids read this and understand life is about what you put into it, and what you get out reflects just that. Can’t wait to share with students.

Isaiah Dunn just lost his father and has to step up as the man of the house for his mother and younger sister, Charlie. Things are not easy! Isaiah’s mother handles her grief by turning to alcohol. His family becomes homeless and Isaiah comes up with ways to make money to help save money for a new house.
I think we all know an Isaiah who needs to read this book! I would like to thank Kelly J. Baptist for writing a book, in a middle grade format, with real life issues that my students face!

Before picking up Kelly J. Baptist's debut novel, I had forgotten about her winning short story published in the collection Flying Lessons and Other Stories. But the moment I was reintroduced to Isaiah Dunn, I remembered, and the emotional strength of that story came flooding back. It was probably my favorite of the collection, the image of young Isaiah tapping away on the library computer forever enduring in my memory.

This book, Isaiah Dunn is My Hero, picks up where the story left off, and Baptist carries us forward with skill, grace, and empathy. The death of Isaiah's father still looms large, especially in the mind of Isaiah's mother who is somewhat paralyzed by her grief, turning to alcohol and increasingly losing control. In fact, loss might be the driving word of this book. Isaiah, having already lost his father, now faces losing his apartment, his best friend, his mother, and even the semblance of home they were cobbling together at a motel. Isaiah is convinced it is up to him to save it all, and he tries to shoulder the responsibilities left by his dead father and ailing mother. Of course, through it all, he is also still a young boy, just trying to navigate school, friendships, and his role as a writer in a world that doesn't value his voice.

Isaiah's life is not easy, but there is still plenty of humor and light in this engaging and convincing novel. Parents and teachers will appreciate the deft way it handles complicated issues such as poverty and homelessness. Kids will like Isaiah and Sneaky's friendship, and many will relate to the struggles - both the extraordinary and the ordinary ones - that Isaiah faces.

Isaiah Dunn is dealing with a lot--grief over the loss of his father, his mother's alcoholism, and bullying at school. Since his mother lost his job, Isaiah and his younger sister Charlie are staying at a motel. Isaiah dreams of making enough money to get his family out of the motel and into a real home, to be like the hero in his father's stories.

Kelly J. Baptist writes in a very relatable manner that would appeal to reluctant readers. She has created a wonderful character in Isaiah; a character that will resonate with readers long after they finished his story.

A great look at a family going through financial disparity & the things young people do to cope with it.

I first met Isaiah Dunn when I read Flying Lessons and I am so exited to be reunited with him. After the loss of Isaiah’s dad, Isaiah’s mom struggles with grief and substance abuse. Isaiah and his family then lose their home.

Isaiah does his best to cope. His father may be gone, but Isaiah still has his father’s stories, which give him the strength to be the hero his mother, little sister, and even he himself need.

This heartfelt story of grief, friendships, and new beginnings will stick with readers long after they’ve finished.

This book! Amazing. I wish there were more pages! Isaiah Dunn is my new hero. This is my best book of the year. Isaiah, Charlotte, Sneaky and A are characters that I fell in love with immediately. Maybe I love Isaiah because he is so real, maybe because I’ve seen him in my classroom and library, and maybe because Kelly J. Baptiste wrote this book so perfectly. This is a must have for any upper elementary or middle school classroom.

TEACHING CONNECTION: For teachers this is a perfect book for a read aloud, book club, or reading group. I cannot wait to share this book with my readers.

Isaiah and his family have not been the same since last year when his father passed away unexpectedly. His mother is sick and has trouble taking care of Isaiah and his younger sister - sometimes leaving them without a home. Isaiah is a hero because he uses his father's writing to inspire him into helping his family out and leaving a legacy for his father along the way.

Kids will love the first person voice, which is honest and funny.

This novel touches on some heavy topics - bullying, alcoholism, death - all viewed from the perspective of 5th grader Isaiah Dunn. Isaiah is a master at poetry, carries around his father's writing journals, and has too many side-hustles to count in an effort to help his mom and bring some stability back to their lives after the sudden death of his father. Isaiah is such a charismatic kid that you can't help but get caught up in his story and root for him throughout the book. This novel will definitely have a home in my classroom library!

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

E ARC provided by Netgalley



When Gary Dunn died, he left behind Isaiah, his mother, and his young sister Charlie. It's been difficult, especially for the mother, who has had a lot of difficulty with the loss, has turned to drink, and has stopped going to work. Because of this, the family is living in a hotel that Isaiah calls the Smoky Inn, because of the strong odor of cigarettes. Isaiah has a good friend, Sneaky, who he helps with his candy resale business, even if it means going to a somewhat sketchy store his mother doesn't like to get their inventory. He struggles a bit in school, especially when classmate Angel gets on his case. He is sent to the office frequently, but the staff is usually understanding of his loss. Isaiah loves to write, just like his father did, and takes comfort in reading the notebook of stories that his father left behind, including stories in which Isaiah is depicted as a super hero who gets his powers from beans and rice. Getting those beans and rice proves harder for the mother as time wears on, and Isaiah is mortified when the family gets groceries at Seven Baskets, a food pantry, and he sees Angel there. Trying to help out, Isaiah goes to the local barbershop to ask if he can earn some money sweeping up hair; he knows that his mother and Charlie take great comfort in going to see Miz Rita at their own hair salon. He also spends a lot of time at the library, especially when he and Angel are assigned a project together. When his mother doesn't return to work, she gets behind on paying for the room, and the police come and kick the family out. After spending the night in their car and struggling through a day at school, Isaiah and his mother end up retrieving Charlie from Miz Rita's. The mother breaks down and tells Miz Rita how she has been struggling. The family stays with her for a while, and the mother eventually goes to rehab for a month. Isaiah has entered one of his father's stories in a writing contest, and he also works with the librarian to clean out a storage room in the library to turn into the Gary Dunn Writing Center to honor his father. With support from their community, the family starts find a path forward.

Strengths: Even though the mother is dealing very poorly with the father's death (on a personal level, I will never enjoy the depiction of grieving parents very much), Isaiah is trying very hard to find bright spots about his father's memory, and makes an effort to help his mother out. It's always good to see middle grade characters be industrious. I also enjoyed that he made peace with his nemesis, Angel, and found it interesting that she was so mean because of something she heard Isaiah say. The adults in Isaiah's life try to help, and ask the right questions, but don't follow through, which seems realistic. This was a great length and has a fantastic cover.

Weaknesses: This would be easier to get students to read if the story line besides the family's struggles had been a bit more fast paced. I liked that Isaiah enjoyed writing, but it does make for a slower paced story. Sneaky was an interesting character, and it would have been interesting to include more of his business dealings as a way to lighten the mood a little.

What I really think: This reminded me a little of Nikki Grimes's Garvey's Choice (the writing), Pyron's Stay (the housing insecurity) and Ogle's Free Lunch and Balliet's Hold Fast (general struggles). Even though Isaiah is a bit younger than my students, I think the story is an important and interesting one, so I will purchase it for my library. I will look forward to other books by this author.

Isaiah Dunn gains hope and confidence through the stories his deceased dad wrote about him. When he hand his mother and sister come up against a challenge that might ruin his hero status, Isaiah gets creative and learns that he doesn't always have to do the saving.

This book wrestles with difficult themes such as grieving, friendship, homelessness, and alcoholism. Among all those heavy themes, Isaiah is still a typical middle grade kid with the same problems as other kids. This is a great book for school and public libraries to add diversity to the collection. The author has an easy to read and relatable voice for reluctant and voracious readers alike.

Isaiah has lost his father, his mother has lost direction from her grief and now they have lost their apartment. Isaiah’s most prized possession is his father’s poetry journal, but Isaiah has another secret, he likes poetry and writing. He ends up working on a class project with his nemesis Angel and finds out that he has more common with her then he knew. Isaiah thinks it is his responsibility to get his family back on track, but can he do it? He is just a 10 year old kid.
#IsaiahDunnisMyHero #NetGalley

Isaiah wants to write like his father, who kept notebooks of his stories but never had them published. He wants to, but has been unable to since his father died, and his mother has spiraled down into drinking.
This is a great story, inspired by the author, a teacher, seeing children who might go to her school, who are homeless. Through this all, Isaiah, if he can't write, he makes sure that his dad's stories are out there. He also reads the stories every day.I read this story so fast, because it was so well written, and I really wanted to know what happened to Isaiah and his family. It is both heartbreaking, and wonderful, at the same time.

Friendships, bullying, and hiding his homelessness are all part of Isaiah's world. Yes, he is my hero too.

This was a really powerful and enjoyable read, perfect for middle grade classroom libraries. This is a great way to give students the ability to have conversations about difficult topics and also expose students to different lives and situations.

I liked how realistic the characters are and how Isaiah is surrounded by a supportive community. A fresh take on authentic voices and a story about resiliency. I plan to purchase several copies for my library system.

Isaiah has recently lost his father, and his mother is having trouble paying the bills. Isaiah wants to help his family, and while he can make a little money helping with his friend's side hustle re-selling candy, he wants to make more and develop a little business all his own. His mother is not dealing with the loss of her husband very well, making poor choices that have a great impact on her children. Fortunately, family is not just the people we live with, and there are many people who take Isaiah and his family under their wing when they need it most, helping to show them the light at the end of the tunnel -- if only they can keep pushing themselves forward.

Even though this book is geared towards the younger crowd I really enjoyed it. Isaiah was written as a really strong character from the beginning and throughout the entire book he grew stronger. His little sister Charlie was written in to show Isaiah’s soft side and she really brought it out of him. This book goes to show that even though you think you have it bad you never know what someone else may be going through. I read this book in two sittings and if it wasn’t for work I’d have finished it in one.

I’ve read a lot of books this year but Kelly J. Baptist’s book earns my first five-star book review. In sometimes heartbreaking pose, Baptist tells the story of Isaiah, a young boy struggling with his father’s loss. Isaiah’s mother is struggling too and can’t seem to focus on him or his younger sister, Charlie. But Isaiah is also a writer whose words help him paint a better world around him. This is a hopeful and charming book. Baptist captures the heart of a young boy determined to never forget his father while doing everything he can to help his family. This is a great read for middle school children and adults too!