Stephen is an eleven year old biracial boy who lives in Brooklyn with his librarian mom and teacher dad. Believing in a saying coined by his favorite basketball player, Stephen wears a bracelet with the words WHAT LANE? This phrase reminds him that he is not confined to one path or as his father says “the world is yours.” Stephen shows his many lanes in his friendships, for his best friend, Dan is white, but he also has friends who are African American, Latino or mixed like him. But Stephen’s thinking is challenged when he experiences microaggressions solely because of his color. And while two years ago, Stephen made a New Year’s resolution to say what’s on his mind, it is not always easy to follow through especially when Dan’s cousin Chad is involved. Stephen learns that he must open his eyes and speak his mind and not worry about so much about the lanes but rather stick with his friends who are true allies and have his back.

Lately, it has been hard to stay focus to read a novel and I know other adults and kids are struggling too. What Lane? is a gamechanger on so many levels. Written in 126 pages with short chapters, Stephen’s authentic story hooked me from the very first page. Kids will easily relate to Stephen who loves superheroes and the television show, Stranger Things. What I love the most is author and teacher Torrey Maldonado tackles tough issues candidly in language that kids will not only enjoy but understand. One of my #mustreadsin2020, it is a novel that adults should read as well What Lane? celebrates its book birthday tomorrow on April 14, 2020.

I really, really wanted to like this book. It has tackled deep contemporary issues of racial discrimination and injustice, and brought it in an accessible level for younger readers. Kids in this age level are often overlooked when our larger social issues are discussed when they should be brought into the conversation. Unfortunately, this book is not the one to bring to them. All the secondary characters blend so they are difficult to tell apart and they are not very well developed. The topic is not dealt with any of the subtle nuances of racism that real life may bring, so it would be difficult for children to understand how even small things can be perceived as threatening. It feels like this book would be better suited as a graphic novel and it would take very little adjustment to the text to make it so.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

What Lane? by Torrey Maldonado
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group/Nancy Paulsen Books
Ages: Upper Elementary and Middle School
Release Date: 14 April 2020

Stephen, a mixed kid, begins to come to grips with the different rules he must live by in his world. After multiple encounters with adults passing judgement on him over his white best friend, he starts to question even more what lane is his.

This story is full of kids of different races and backgrounds and that is so important in today's culture. You have the quick-to-judge white people, the full-on racist, but you also see some allies in his young white friends-and it is nice to see the full spectrum presented.

Living in rural Kansas, it's easy for us adults to forget some of these things that happen. And it is even easier for our kids to not be aware of it at all. It is our job to give them windows into other worlds and this is definitely one of those.

My only drawbacks: I had a difficult time getting into the book, but once I did I could not put it down. Also the ending seemed really abrupt. I appreciate that Maldonado did not tie it all up with a bow, but left off with a glimmer of the possibility of hope.

You won't regret adding this one to your collection.

I put other books aside this week to read this one, and I'm so glad I did. I only wish I had my classroom full of students to put this into their hands.

What Lane? is a perfect book to help all upper elementary/middle grade students understand the racial inequities in the world today. Stephen, a mixed race child, begins to see how some people tend to view people of races other than themselves in a discriminatory way. He starts to evaluate his friend circle and notices that he tends to ride in the middle but tries to say that's because of his adopted mantra of What Lane?, meaning don't follow others and stay in a lane. However, he realizes by doing that he sometimes ends up staying in a lane instead of speaking up. As the story goes on, more characters begin to be more perceptive about how others are treated and friendships are forged while others are broken.

This book is going to be a huge hit among middle graders! The length will appeal to some of our readers who are overwhelmed by big books and the situations that the main character experience will lead to connections with readers about regular kid problems, with the potential to lead to deeper and important conversations about how race can affect how a person is treated. It would be a great addition to a text set that includes The New Kid by Jerry Craft and provide windows into the lives of individuals who live with daily micro aggressions, as well as a mirror that will validate the experiences of so many of our children of color across the country. Every teacher should read this book and every 4-8 classroom library should have a copy! It would also make the perfect read aloud at any time of the year.

So glad I was able to read an early copy of this great book. Tackling important subjects for middle graders, like racism and friendship, this book would be perfect for book clubs or a class read aloud.

Stephen has committed to living a life that is defined by no-one. Even though he's not great at basketball he's going to be like Marshall Carter, an NBA player on the "next level" who plays in "every lane." Sounds like an awesome goal right? The problem is the rules seem to be changing in the game of Stephen's life. Readers follow Stephen as he navigates a world that is suddenly more suspicious of him. Stephen is mixed race, but as his Dad reminds him, there are a lot of people in the world who will look at him and only see black. His best friend Dan is white, and Stephen has to start thinking twice about jumping in a lane with Dan and his other white friends because sometimes the consequences are different for him. This is complicated by the fact that Dan doesn't always see this and sometimes it's hard for Stephen to explain. Navigating friendships while growing up is hard for anyone and this is book explores additional complications. Stephen shows a great awareness of various challenges as his current friendships evolve, he adds new friends, and navigates bullies. Get inside his head as he thinks through various situations and doesn't always make the right choice, but is constantly learning and growing.

VERDICT I enjoyed reading this book. I think it is well written and very accessible with many contemporary cultural references. Stephen is likable and relatable for readers. He brings an important voice to the experiences and challenges facing black and brown boys specifically. This book will be a good starting point for difficult conversations surrounding racism, the Black Lives Matter movement, friendship, and growing up.

Torrey Maldonado paints the realities of our present day world in relation to social injustice with a ten-year-old mixed kid named Stephen. Stephen's mom is white and his dad is black, but what's the point in calling himself mixed when the world sees him as black?
Stephen's best friend is a white kid named Dan who actually values Stephen and slowly realizes that yes, Stephen indeed gets treated unfair in a lot of situations. Dan's cousin, Chad, is a huge problem in this story. He is aggressive and has a history for being sketchy and just taking things over the top.
What will be impactful is getting this into readers hands so they realize that this shouldn't be taken lightly. There are characters in this story who have quite different viewpoints on racism and it will show students how unaware many people are. I loved that the character's voice was so easy to pick up on; even the slang terms and references to today's culture made it easier to connect to. I will definitely purchase this book for my classroom and I hope that not only students read it, but adults do too.