Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. This is such an important book. We are more than our past mistakes, past choices and there are ways to move past bad choices. Eb and Flow have very important people in their lives that allow them to have the opportunites to see that after they get into a fight at school. While these paths will not be easy, there are other ways to get by other than the easy, and not necessarily the best way.

While I think the novel in verse format worked to tell this story, I also found that it took me a while to track both students' stories and figure out who was who in their overlapping lives. I can see this being a good discussion starter and possibly a good book for reluctant readers although some of the slang might be a stretch for ELL students.

I love this one. It's in my top 10 of 2024 and I think kids everywhere should be reading it. Eb and Flow both have distinctive, believable voices.

I absolutely loved the dual perspective of this story. It really showcased the fact that there are two sides to every situation and that are actions sometimes have unintended consequences. Incredible middle grade story.

The flow of the story (haha) was really dope. I was excited reading it and think it came together very nicely. If you want a pick-me-up and want to vibe out to a good read, this is for you.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to review this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me access to the free advanced digital copy of this book.

Eb & Flow by Kelly J Baptist is a novel in verse. The book provides a realistic look into out of school suspension. Eb & Flow got into a fight and are suspended from school. The story shows their multiple days of being at home and reflecting on their past decisions. Recommended grades 6-9.

EB & FLOW is a novel in verse showing the perspectives of two middle schoolers, Ebony and De'Kari (also known as Flow) who receive 10-day suspensions from school following a fight in the cafeteria. Chapters alternate narrators, allowing each character to provide their own perspective on the events that transpired and on how those events have impacted their relationships with family and friends. As Eb and Flow deal with the fallout from their scuffle, readers will see that the two are actually more similar than they realize.

The book addresses tough topics that are all too real for today’s middle school readers in an accessible and engaging way. It is thought provoking while addressing tough topics that are all too real for today’s middle school readers in an accessible and engaging way. Great fast-paced read! I'm looking forward to sharing this one with my school's fifth grade readers, especially those who have already enjoyed the author's Isaiah Dunn books.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing an e-ARC of this book.

Like all good verse novels, this one sets a fast pace. Yes, we're spending a fair amount of time reflecting on the characters feelings. But Baptist also paints a solid picture of the lives of these kids. We see how they interact with their families, the weight of expectations and disapproval, of responsibilities. They are also, in many ways, standard middle grade kids. They make snap decisions, react emotionally, without fully considering what might happen as a result. This leads to the fight that starts the narrative, of course, but has larger consequences later in the book as well. The messaging is easily grasped and the plot easily followed. A solid choice for most middle grade readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC of this book. I've enjoyed others of Kelly Baptist's works in the past, and was looking forward to this one. I read and listened to this one, and the audiobook's narrators are fantastic, particularly at the end of the book where they are trading off as they read, and sometimes reading together. The plot of this one wasn't my favorite as I felt like there was a long lead up to Eb & Flow's interaction, and a quick wrap up. For me, the last 1/4 of the book was the strongest.

I really enjoyed this book! Baptist really captured the voices of the two main characters and in doing so, the reader is able to empathize with each of them. I was left feeling hopeful the two of them could potentially foster a friendship, which was lovely.

I read Eb & Flow in a day, but it will stick with me for much longer. It follows two characters, aptly named Eb and Flow, who get in a fight at school and get suspended for ten days. Over the ten days, they learn about their families, themselves, and some ways, each other. They barely interact throughout the book, but that hardly matters. The author lets us see how their lives parallel each other, using verse to really drive this home. There's a ton of great discussion about assumptions. They both love their neighborhood, despite outsiders thinking it's the bad part of town. We learn that it's a community of people that care about each other. Obviously, they learn about what their assumptions about each other cost them. This is a book that young readers should love, and that white educators, like myself, should read. The point of view is important and needed.

The best part of this book is the messy, yet loving, families both of these characters have. Eb lives with her Granny and her many siblings and cousins, plus a nephew. Flow spends a lot of time with his uncle and little sister. His mom works a lot. Both have dads that are out of town, but not absent. Learning about them, and the love that exists in their homes was my favorite part of this story. I loved reading about Eb and her nephew and seeing her soften up around him. I loved her Granny, who felt like a superhero. Flow's family is equally great. His uncle is tough, but really does care, and his mom is great. And once again, their family dynamics are so similar, without them realizing it. The climax of this book emphasizes this beautifully.

Ultimately, this book was great. I want it for our library, for sure. I definitely got emotional reading this, but definitely laughed too. It feels so real and important, and I think the verse format makes it more accessible to young readers.

"I don't hit girls." what starts out on "The Day Of" with "the incident" becomes a 10 day suspension for Eb & Flow. What the reader learns is that these two angry middle schoolers have more in common than they know. That their anger stems from similar experiences and backgrounds. Single moms/grandmothers, fathers away in the military, siblings, trouble always seems to be following them; it "ebbs and flows"...until it comes to a head. Great novel in verse; I never pass them up!

“I don’t hit girls.”
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It starts with an accidental scuffed shoe and ends with a fight between De’Kari aka Flow and Ebony aka Eb. Neither thinks they’re wrong and now they both have a ten day suspension. It’s not until they return to school and have ISS do they start to listen to one another and think about kindness and respect. But when families get involved in their altercation, some things you can’t take back.
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Wow. @kellyiswrite wrote something special with this MG novel in verse. We get to see each child’s home life and how much they truly have in common, even when they don’t see it themselves. This is a book for those kids who keep their anger at the surface, who need to see what consequences can happen when we don’t look at other people’s perspectives. Restorative justice is so important with our tweens and teens. I can’t wait to get this in my middle school library!

CW: pregnancy, poverty, violence, physical altercation, parental abandonment, gangs


4.5 ⭐️

I really love how the author told this story. It was written really well. I loved that one of the main characters were diverse. They seemed different but had things in common. This book speaks to grief of having a loved one deployed and another parent distracted by day to day life. I really enjoyed this book.

I think this is a great book for middle grade and up. Honestly hope its turned into a graphic novel. The imagery the words gave me I want to see it in living color.

This amazing book is told in two voices-Eb (short for Ebony) and Flow (De'Kari's nickname). At the beginning of the book, Eb and Flow have a disagreement that ends in a fight which results in them being suspended for 10 day.s The story tells about what happens as they try to work through the problem as well some of the backstory as to why the kids would have a fight over what seems to be a minor issue. Baptist has a real gift for story telling and the characters' voices are so crystal clear it's easy to connect with these characters. I thought this one was terrific.

This would be a wonderful addition to middle school reading curriculum! It tells the story of two young teens who both serve a 10-day suspension due to a fight at school. Alternating between their first-person perspectives, it's very engrossing, readable, and relatable. It touches on so many substantial topics--family breakdown, gangs, the school-to-prison pipeline, gossip, unemployment, the burdens of military service--but in a way that feels organic and matter-of-fact, not preachy or "a very special episode". They're all just parts of the normal, complicated lives of these young people.

The kids are unreliable narrators, as children often are, but it only adds to the story as their perspective and understanding of events grows. The outcome is so wonderfully real and realistic--no overblown melodrama or cutesy Hollywood ending, just a plausible way this story could play out for two basically good kids doing the best they can.

This could spark so many great discussions and it's really stuck with me, even as an adult. I would strongly encourage checking this out and bringing it into classroom, school, and community libraries!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

LOVED! This is a slow starter though. I liked the story from the beginning, especially the idea that kids reading this could get to see how these two feuding kids are actually very similar. I was questioning the format (this is a novel in verse) since I felt like it wasn't bringing anything to the story... until Day 10, then I understood why it was written in verse, and really enjoyed the formatting too. I read with my eyes and ears with this one, and the audiobook does a really cool thing where both of the narrators read some of the poems to amazing effect. I truly enjoyed this wholeheartedly.

This is a powerful novel-in-verse with authentic first-person narration from both leads. It's highly engaging and most of the characters are complex. Lots of metropolitan kids will be able to relate to the black protagonists and their families. I abstained from a higher rating because the story is too short and some elements were truncated where they could have been fleshed out - namely, Eb's troubled friendship with Kianna and a reference to Flow's experiences with domestic violence. The reader is left with only a vague understanding of what these points in the characters' lives meant to the development of their personalities and perspectives. Overall a strong choice for the collection at my city library.

What an important story to help kids take a look at the world from someone else’s view. Eb and Flow have a lot more in common that they think. Both voices are important for the world to hear.