An excellent title for introducing students to the issues surrounding gentrification. The characters are engaging and realistic. The issues are presented in an age-appropriate and accessible manner for young readers. Highly recommended!

I really wanted to love this book. There are not many children's books dealing with gentrification, and I was looking forward to reading something that dealt with this difficult topic. My impression of the book overall is positive, but more "like" than "love." It was a good story and I liked the main character. But the start of the book felt a bit preachy. It got better as it went along. I had to force myself past the opening chapters, but once I got farther into the book, I wanted to keep reading. I will purchase the book for my library because it fills an important hole in the collection.

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

TAKE BACK THE BLOCK starts us off in the very stylish shoes of 11-year old Wes Henderson. Out marching with his mom when he’d rather be at home celebrating his birthday with his friends, he isn’t too concerned with topics in social justice. But when developers start making offers in his neighborhood, and a collection of eye-opening events start happening around him, Wes grapples with learning how he can stand up for himself and his community. A lovely story with real characters that we cheer for, this book makes complex, important topics accessible for the middle grade reader. Get this book! For you, your kids, their friends, neighbors, and libraries!

This book is a shining example to teach children about social justice issues that are faced within minority communities. We follow Wes as he begins the story at a protest with his mother when he would rather be playing video games with his friends. As the book goes on, we get to see how friendships are changed due to gentrification in their neighborhoods. Kari and his family have already been displaced and now Kensington Oaks is threatening to have the same thing happen. When Wes realizes that his beloved neighborhood is at risk, he takes brave steps for any 6th grader to make. Along the way, he will teach his friends, and readers, all about gentrification and preservation of Black history. I cannot wait until my 3 year old is old enough to fully understand this amazing book.

Take Back the Block is a fantastic middle grade book about Wes, an 11 year old boy, who is advocating to save his community from development. There are many timely themes that are presented in a way that students can understand and discuss. Readers will be inspired by Wes and his drive and loyalty to his friends and neighborhood.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a great MG book that teaches kids about gentrification in an easy to understand way. I loved the characters, especially Wes. He faced friendship struggles that I think lots of kids can relate to!

I was super eager to read TAKE BACK THE BLOCK, and for good reason. This contemporary middle grade tackles the realities of urban gentrification, which affects many youth around the country today. The main character, Wes, is unwilling, at first, to get involved when builders move in to redevelop his friend's neighborhood. But when those same developers move to his part of town, Wes' fight to ensure his community's survival gains momentum, in a perfectly crafted story to keep the reader engaged until the very end.

I'm not sure I've ever read a middle grade book that so expertly tackles the difficult and often complex topic on gentrification. The story felt very real and authentic, never shifting into the schmaltzy preaching that MG novels sometimes embrace. Even better, while the main plot of the novel focused on gentrification a host of other complex issues (economic inequality, anti-black racism, police brutality, colorism, single parent challenges, generational wealth, mixed-race identity, and many others) were present in a manner that helped remind the reader that social justice issues never occur in a vacuum. While I don't get the impression this is intended to be part of a series, there is certainly space for a number of novels focused on Wes and his friends.

Great middle grade story about a young boy grappling with gentrification and how it impacts himself and his friends. Love that this young boy is engaged in protesting. I want more on his friend Kari, my heart breaks for him. And the way this text tackled the erasure of Black excellence in an accessible way was great!

TAKE BACK THE BLOCK takes me back to that special time when I was in middle school trying to find my voice as a young Black man starting to see how my city was changing around me and how my friends and I were brought up. This book confronts so many topics head on impacting the Black community. Chrystal D. Giles did an OUTSTANDING job with depicting each kid’s personality, while also finding the perfect balance of informing young people about gentrification without preaching. This book oozes authenticity! The author’s use of historic symbols show the connection between Jim Crow and racial inequality that we’re still facing today. While we’ve come a long way we still have a ways to go, and Wes and his friends experience this directly. This book also shows how being surrounded by love and fighting for what you believe in can change the trajectory of a young person’s life forever. I look forward to reading more of Chrystal’s work. She is a rising-star!

I really liked Wes and how he taught to stand up for himself and what he believes in. Take Back The Block is a stellar debut! I felt we got a phenomenal look at Wes' world and this book gave us a truthful, heartfelt perspective on what gentrification means on an individual level. There is so much going on, but such great looks into family, friendship, and home.

A book that needs to be added to every Middle Grade Library shelf!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

Take Back The Block is a stellar debut. It's phenomenal at letting the reader dig into Wes' world and give us a truthful, heartfelt perspective on what gentrification means on an individual level.

Chrystal D. Giles' TAKE BACK THE BLOCK does a remarkable thing: it makes issues of social justice accessible for middle grade readers. By presenting difficult subjects in the context of a great story populated by memorable characters, the issues come alive with incredible poignancy. Wes and his crew feel so real. Readers will cheer for him as he fights to save his neighborhood from gentrification. They will cry for him when he and a friend are victims of racial profiling. They will identify with and admire his journey from a reluctant participant in his parents' activism to an independent and passionate leader ready to fight for what he knows is right. And they will come away with a better understanding of the importance of community and shared history. This story is so very timely and so very necessary. If I were a middle school/late elementary teacher, I would make TAKE BACK THE BLOCK part of my curriculum. Highly recommend. Many thanks to Random House Kids for the opportunity to read this advanced review copy.

Wes Henderson is all set to slide into sixth grade and start the year off right at his new middle school; he’s got his freshest clothes and coolest kicks picked out, and he’s confident that his best buds will be with him every step of the way. But when a development group makes an offer for his inner-city neighborhood, threatening to replace it with an upscale shopping area and condos, Wes’s eyes are opened in a whole new way. Suddenly the anti-gentrification protests his mom has made him march in take on a whole new meaning, and his friend’s forced relocation becomes more personal. Unable to stand by and do nothing, Wes dives into researching the history of his community, learning about issues of social justice, segregation, and racial inequality along the way. Although he’s surprised to learn that his friends don’t all agree with his views, he learns that navigating differing opinions is part of growing up, and that one voice—no matter how small—can make a BIG difference.

This very real, readable, and important book is one of the most relevant middle grade novels I have read in years. It touches on so many themes important in today’s society—prejudice, social justice, racial inequality, and police brutality, just to name a few—and makes them accessible to middle grade readers. As I rave about it to book friends (and anyone else who will listen!), I keep calling it “THE HATE YOU GIVE for middle grade,” which to me is the most accurately succinct description you can give someone in seven words or less of this brilliant, amazingly-written book. Every teacher needs this on his or her shelf, but more importantly, KIDS need to read this book! Wes is a character who becomes real from the moment he speaks on page one. This kid needs to be heard, and young readers need to hear his story; it’s as simple as that. Author Chrystal Giles has outdone herself in her debut, and I can’t wait to read what she has in store for us next!

Wes has been raised to speak up and speak out against Injustice, and while he dutifully attends the protests his activist mother organizes, Wes doesn’t see how the fight for social justice relates to him. But then his beloved neighborhood is targeted by a developer offering big money to buy people out of their homes.
Now the fight becomes personal. Along with his friends, Wes learns what it means to fight for what you believe in, how to stand up and fight for what’s right.
This MG should be in every classroom and school library as a primer for kids to see that their voices not only matter, but that they carry weight and can help affect real change.

Take Back the Block is an important book to diversify my classroom library. Gentrification is a topic that my fourth grade students may not be so familiar with, but the story is told in a way that makes this concept accessible for younger readers. What happens to Wesley is relatable to those living in one of the boroughs of New York City - instances like this probably happen more often than we even realize. The idea of peacefully protesting and marching to stand up for what you believe in is also especially timely due to current events. This book shows the importance of sticking together to preserve a community of families in a neighborhood. Anyone who has a strong connection to where they have grown up will root for these characters to succeed and be allowed the opportunity to remain where they call home.

Take Back the Block exemplifies everything great about middle grade: relatable characters, smart and laugh-out-loud humor, and important topics presented in an accessible, engaging way that keep the reader thinking about them long after they close the book. These are the marks of middle grade stories that stick with us forever, I would definitely recommend going for a classroom set or doing a full class read aloud with this one. It lends itself well to discussion and civics activities.

A middle grade book about gentrification might sound like a dry pitch, but in Giles' hands you get a hilarious, lovable story that presents a kid grappling with changes in his life and community. It gives kids the language to talk about changes they are seeing in their own communities. Wes starts the book reluctant to tag along to protests with his activist parents, but along the way becomes passionate about advocating for what's right. Wes and his group of friends have different perspectives on what to do about the development company that is interested in buying their neighborhood.

Wes is a flawed, funny, and well-dressed (he would never let you forget that) character that you can't help but cheer for from page one, even when he's trying to shrug off his responsibilities.

I love this book and can't wait to see what is next for Chrystal D. Giles.

TAKE BACK THE BLOCK is what I consider one of the best kinds of middle grade books: ones with fantastic characters you want to root for, ones that reflect the world kids live in, and ones that have serious heart. Take Back the Block is a wonderful way to teach kids about gentrification, and to show kids already going through issues similarly to Wes and his friends that they're not alone. All while maintaining a lightheartedness while touching on more serious topics. Definitely a must read for classrooms.