This was a 5 star read. Thanks to netgalley.com for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Isaiah Dunn is My Hero is a middle grade novel that made me cry, laugh, and rethink my own teaching. It reminded me that I never really know everything my students are going through, and to approach every situation with empathy first. It covers grief, friendship, and other important topics. This book would be perfect for upper elementary and middle school students, and I will definitely be purchasing a copy for my classroom library. Highly recommended read for teachers and students alike!

Beautiful book about heroes. I loved how the author made characters that are relatable and kids can see themselves in the book itself.

I loved the short story "The Rice and Beans Chronicle of Isaiah Dunn" and am so happy this novel was written. It is a wonderful story of how people persevere through grief and tough circumstances. I will definitely recommend it to all of my library students.

Ten year old Isaiah is the hero of Isaiah Dunn is My Hero. He tries desperately to hold his family together as they struggle to deal with the recent death of his father. His mother is drowning in her grief and the care of his 4 year old sister Charlie falls largely on Isaiah. Besides the memories of his father, he also has his dad's writing journal which are filled with tales of a little boy super hero powered by beans and rice.

Baptist writes a completely relatable book for young kids. In Isaiah, Sneaky and Angel I see my students and their challenges as they navigate impending adolescence. There is much to be said and discussed about Isaiah's resilience. As a child, he truly has no control over his environment, but how he chooses to respond to each challenge is admirable. In addition, Baptist writes plenty of supportive adults in Isaiah's tribe. Ms. Rita, Mr. Rock, and Mr. Shephard are wise sage's Isaiah can rely upon, without being overbearing.

An enjoyable read about overcoming obstacles and becoming your own hero.

This is a beautiful little book. Isaiah Dunn is a young boy grieving for his late father, watching his mother struggle, and doing his best to be a good son and brother while managing his own grief. Isaiah is a writer who has lost his own words and is taking comfort in those left behind by his father.

Watching his journey and his growth is wonderful throughout this story. Baptist takes some really difficult topics for middle grade literature - grieving the loss of a parent, watching a parent struggle with grief and addiction, homelessness, loss of inspiration, friendship struggles, worrying about money - and makes them accessible for these young readers, real without being Too Scary. And this is done while also honoring the memory of Isaiah's father and keeping him alive in really lovely ways.

Definitely recommended for upper elementary and middle grade classrooms.

Ten-year-old Isaiah Dunn is trying to be the hero that his dad writes about in his journals, but he struggles. Since the death of his father a year ago, his sister Charlie is continuously asking questions, mama seems to be withdrawing and drinking just a little bit more, and he can't quite seem to get all of the words circling through his head out on paper like he used to.

As his mom copes with the grief of losing her husband, the family loses their home and moves into the "Smoky Inn.” If only Isaiah can earn enough money to find a place of their own, everything will be okay. He clings to his dad's journals for hope and to escape his current reality. As he sets a plan in motion, he learns a valuable lesson about the power of community and what real strength is.

I absolutely loved this book. It shows the complexity of the issues facing many kids today. The emotional rollercoaster of emotion that this book will take you on is worth every minute. I grieved with Isaiah as he not only dealt with the grief of losing his father, but tried to support his mother as she battled depression, and acted as the father-figure for his younger sister. I felt his pain as he felt shame about being housing insecure and didn't feel safe enough to share with anyone else, not even his best friend, Sneaky. I shared his joy during those moments when he and Sneaky could just goof around and agreed when Rock encouraged him just to enjoy being a kid. I also felt pride with him as his vision expanded the legacy of his dad's work.

His friendships to both Sneaky and Angel went through closeness and reconciliation cycles, which felt authentic, particularly as you go through grief. Pain often creates situations that push those closest away until realizing that they are exactly who you need during that time.

Kelly Baptiste explored the challenges, in addition to the strength of community. Isaiah found adult figures to help him stay on the right path. Mr. Shepard, the librarian, Rock, the barber, and Miz Rita, the family friend, all stepped up and into Isaiah's life, reminding him of his greatness and covering him with love and support. I think Isaiah learned that his creativity and community were just as powerful as the beans and rice that strengthened Isaiah Dunn Superhero.

I really liked this book a lot. It is a book with a lot of strong messages for young people. Isaiah is a boy of 10, dealing with some heavy issues, an absentee father, being bullied at school, nonexistent family finances, alcoholism, etc. It was a page-turner. I recommend it. Some Kids deal with a lot heavy issues and reading a book that mirrors their issues, can give them some hope.

I love, love, love that Isaiah Dunn is My Hero is an Own Voices middle grade novel that really honestly depicts the difficult things that many young people face. But it doesn’t only depict the bad- there’s so much beautiful depiction of the kind of care communities that exist in the Black community- the way people step up and look out for one another and their kids and families. There’s also the awesomeness that is a little boy who loves poetry even though at first he feels embarrassed about it. This is the kind of book we need more of.

Isaiah Dunn is a 10 year old boy who loves writing and poetry. His father, Gary, passed away last year and his mom is having a really rough time coping. They’ve lost their apartment and are living in a hotel. And Isaiah knows his mom has good day and bad, but is never quite sure just what kind of day each will be. He clings to a notebook his father wrote stories in about a superhero named Isaiah Dunn who gets his powers from beans & rice. It’s in these stories that Isaiah is able to escape and hold onto his father. He just wishes he had real superpowers and could get his mom and younger sister Charlie into a new and even better home. Isaiah sets out to help his mom out by earning money and along the way he learns what real strength is.

This story was everything an good story should be- there was a lot of emotion. At times my heart broke for Isaiah and his family. We get to watch Isaiah learn and grow too, all the good and bad that entails. There’s his friendship with a boy named Sneaky and a school bully named Angel. But in so many ways this is a story that teaches that we all contain multitudes- no one is all good or all bad. There’s a redemption narrative throughout that doesn’t condescend or seek to tokenize or sensationalize the difficulties lower income families and those who have lost a loved one or faced homelessness deal with.

Isaiah also ends up finding a couple of fantastic male role models who help him honor his father and continue to grow. There’s Mr. Shepard, the librarian and Rock, the barber. There’s also Miz Rita, an older woman and friend of the family from their old apartment building who really looks out for the whole family. I think in many ways Isaiah ultimately learns none of us have superhuman strength or special powers but that by working together a lot of good can happen.

This is a beautiful, complex story that deals with real issues. And the kinds of issues that rarely or are never written about in kidlit. I could see this book being a lifeline for the right kid, in much the same way writing and stories are a lifeline for Isaiah.

I feel like the most important part of this book is the opening scenario. The Dunn family begins the book without a home but feeling like their situation is only temporary. They'd been living right on the borderline of poverty, barely holding on. It doesn't take much to tip them over the line, to start them down the downward slope to a point that they can't pull themselves out of. Grief and addiction compound an already difficult situation. We see Isaiah trying to cover his situation in school, with adults, and even masking it's extent with his closest friends. This won't be immediately relatable for upper middle class kids but those who've lived around the poverty line will recognize themselves in this narrative, a fact alone which will make it valuable. But we also get a lot of Isaiah's inner life here. We see his anger and resentment, pointed primarily at his mother but a little at his dad and and Sneaky, resentment for the things he's lost that others still have. We see the fissures that develop between lifelong friends and which cannot be fully repaired.

This book is moving. First of all, the intended audience is children/young teens. This author has written in a way that touches tough topics, but is sensitive enough for children to understand and relate to. The amount of empathy and compassion it pulls out of your is incredible. I think everyone can find a part to connect with and I see this helping so many of my students.

This was a very heavy book about death, houselessness, and addiction told through the lens of a young boy. I thought, though it was heavy, this book was very accessible and would be easy for a lot of children to engage with. This book is very dialogue heavy and favors dialogue over description. I think this is very accessible for kids as well. I will definitely display this book, I think it handles hard topics but still keeps hope on the table for kids.

Wow! What an amazing novel! This was my first novel by this author and I really enjoyed it!
Issah dunn is my hero by kelly J Baptist is a middle grade novel that is about our main protaginist name Isaiah who is dealing with grief in the very beginning of the novel because his father passed away and so he's dealing with some grief that he is dealing with.
This was a great novel and it took me awhile to read this arc but it was so worth it! Also happy book birthday to this novel it just came out today!(:
5/5 Stars

I read Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero by Kelly Baptist in an advance reading copy furnished by Net Galley. It has been quite a while since I’ve stayed awake until near midnight to finish reading, but I couldn’t rest easy until Isaiah had found peace!

Kelly Baptist brings her experience as a Social Emotional Learning Interventionist to her writing to tell the story of ten-year-old Isaiah. His jobless mother finds comfort in the bottles Isaiah finds in the trash after the death of his father while he tries to maintain some normality for his inquisitive little sister Charlie even when they wind up living in a cheap motel and then homeless. Setting the stage early in the book, Isaiah lists his fears, “daddy long-leg spiders, tsunamis, and dogs” before adding “eating beans and rice every day, not being able to write poems, and having to live at Smoky Inn forever.” As if these problems were not enough, there is school where students tease him about his differences and bullies keep him in hot water.

Angel sits across from him, making snide remarks and getting him into trouble, until a few visits with the principal get the two of them sent to spend time in the Reflection Room with the counselor Mrs. Marlee. His scheming best friend, appropriately nicknamed “Sneaky,” helps him circumvent the rules and find ways to pull in a little money though it never amounts to enough to buy or rent the big house he dreams about for his family. Then there is his father’s journal with stories of the amazing Isaiah Dunn Superhero whose powers come from a diet of beans and rice. In time, Isaiah will find his own writing voice in poetry that is even more powerful.

I love finding good writers at the beginning of their careers, and I am predicting this debut middle grade novel will be on many suggested reading lists. The characters are well-drawn, and the situations are so realistic that you want to pitch in and help Isaiah in his aspirations to become the hero. Lucky for you, it goes on sale tomorrow August 18!

I read this book in one sitting! What an emotional story. There were times I wanted to cry, but I ended the book with a huge smile. Isaiah really is a hero - an incredible, hard-working, relatable role model for Black boys. Baptist deals with homelessness, substance abuse, grief and death, bullying, and more in this book - but it doesn't feel weighed down. The language and personalities are spot on. I can't wait to recommend this book to students!

I loved this book! The author brought every character to life in such an amazing way. Additionally, the relationships between characters felt very real and complex and I enjoyed how they developed and changed throughout the story. One of my favorite aspects of the book was how Isaiah maintained a connection to his father through his dad's notebooks and writing. This book touches on many topics: death, grief, bullying, substance abuse, mental health, homelessness, friendship, family relationships, etc. The author ties all of these topics into a beautifully written, heartwarming, realistic novel. Highly recommended.

Isaiah is struggling to deal with the loss of his father at a young age while also trying to understand who he is. Throughout the book, Isaiah accurately portrays a young child who is confused and his emotions sometimes are at an extreme causing others to misunderstand him. On top of dealing with the loss of his dad, he also has to step up and be the parent at a young age since his mother is struggling with depression and ultimately her depression creates a homeless situation for them. Isaiah discovers who he wants to be and grows as a character throughout the novel.

Wow, wow, wow. This book. I rarely become emotional whilst reading a book, but that happened to me several times while reading the story of Isaiah Dunn. In Isaiah, we have a young protagonist whose trying to work through his own grief while helping his little sister maintain some normalcy and can't really rely on his mother, as she is grief as well. I appreciated how Isaiah's mother was not made a villain, even though Isaiah was certainly and validly upset with her at certain moments, because it is quite clear she is grieving and depressed. The book handles the topics of grief, depression and alcoholism in a parent, and the emotions of children in an expert way that children Isaiah's age can understand and recognize. I highly recommend this book to EVERYONE.

A riveting story that will touch the hearts and open the eyes of so many readers. Isaiah's voice is authentic and a lot of kids will identify with him. This should be in every elementary and middle school library.

This was such an emotional read. Isaiah is such a smart and great kid. His sister is adorable and funny. Their entire family is wonderful.. This book would be great as a classroom read to teach readers empathy and to discuss the loss of a parent, the power of writing, and people experiencing homelessness.

Isaiah Dunn is My Hero by Kelly J. Baptist is a story about a 10 year old boy named Isaiah who is dealing with the recent loss of his father. Now that his dad is gone, he feels like he's responsible for taking care of his mom and little sister. Not only that, he's trying to keep his dad's legacy alive. His dad was a writer, and Isaiah wants to follow in his footsteps. However, not everyone is taking the loss as well as Isaiah. His mom is battling depression, and he finds himself living in a run down motel instead of their apartment. Despite everything, Isaiah is determined to be the hero everyone needs.

I LOVED this book! It reminded me of students I've had throughout the years. I got very emotionally attached to the characters, and I even found myself worrying about them when I wasn't reading. It also gives a real look into how easily and quickly families can go from stable to homeless. Grief can change so much. I think every teacher should read this book, and it should be in every classroom library for upper elementary and middle schools!