In the debut novel The Black Kids by Christina Hammond Reed, we meet Ashley Bennet who attends a private high school--she is one of very few black students. Aside from this, Ashley’s family is wealthy and she does not have the same experience as her fellow Black peers. Set in the early 90s, the novel includes the real life beating of Rodney King (1992) and what follows as the L.A. Riots once all 4 officers are found not guilty. These events come full circle for Ashely when she has to open up her sheltered eyes and see the world around her behind the facades she used to everyday. She must now consider her own place in the world and this comes at a cost of lost longtime friendships as well as looking beyond the shelter her parents have built for her. The novel is baked in layers that explores systematic racism, privilege, identity, and family.
This story is so relevant to the times and thought provoking. It also served as a reminder that history, good or bad, has a habit of repeating itself. I love that it was not corny or preachy in any way. Just real. I’m also really glad the POV was told in the first person because you really got to see what Ashely was thinking, how she came to those thoughts.

This is an incredible own voices book. It talks about how a girl named Ashley is coping with the aftermath of a traumatic event and how she tries to live her life “normally” because she wants to move on. It deals with some hard-hitting topics and is a must-read!

This book broke my heart but did such a wonderful job portraying the bleakness of our world today. I think it's a must read for all people and I truly think the emotional impact of this book will stay with me forever.

This book offers what I feel is a unique perspective because it is written through the eyes of black teenagers attending a wealthy school. The setting revolves around the 1992 Rodney King riots which opens their eyes to the problems in the world around them. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Black Kids is a coming-of-age story about Ashley Bennet, a high school student. Attending a posh school, being one of the few black kids Ashley has lived a sheltered life. The story is set in L.A of 1992 in the midst of Rodney King riots. Ashley being a teenager is coming into terms with her identity as a person, worried about her future, messy relations and questionable choices.

Ashley is a selfish character. Some of her choices were questionable but her flaws made her character seem more real and human. Living a sheltered life, I understood Ashelys's hesitancy in taking a stand with her people. I liked reading about her journey of self-discovery as she explores more about her family background and the hardships they had to go through.

The story was enlightening in terms of shedding light on important historical topics. It switched between scenes of riots and Ashleys's struggle and search for her identity. Reading about the riots, looting, and injustices from Ashley's perspective educated me on the matter. It's sad that 1992's Rodney King case and 2020's George Floyd case are so similar despite of so many years passing between them. It seems history does repeat itself and we learn nothing from it.

This was an amazingly uncomfortable book. It was so hard to read and I loved every second of it. The fact that The Black Kids was set during the Rodney King beating as opposed to George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, or even Tamir Rice did not lessen its impact or relevance.


Having worked in public libraries, I can tell you that you're likely to find five books with a black protagonist that take place in urban communities that include the various realities of the black urban experience before finding one about a black middle class teen, let alone flat out rich like Ashley. Both experiences are relevant and both stories need to be told.


Now don't get me wrong Ashely was one of the worst human beings I've read about this year. Her "friends" were the biggest dumpster fire this side of the Mississippi. This whole book was a struggle to read and it was beautifully done.


Ashley was horrible. She was disgustingly privileged, jealous, full of assumptions, caught up in negative stereotypes, and none of that is an excuse for the ignorance that she radiated at every turn. But my heart, low key, broke for her at some points. While I didn't condone any of her actions in the first three fourths of the book, I understood (some of) them. So many of us understand what it's like to be the one dark face in a room, but there can be an extra layer of uncertainty when you don't use the same terms, listen to the same music, or share the same experiences as the few black faces that you do see, or as Ashley learned, you assume you don't share enough similar and relevant experiences with those other black faces. I can't tell you how much crap I get for preferring to listen to the Newsies soundtrack, Paramore, or Owl City in the car from white and black people.


Feeling like you don't fit anywhere… I can think of few things worse at that developmental point in a young person's life, and I say that from very real and personal experiences (also training lol).


There was a lot to unpack here and I might need to read this again, but I highly suggest picking it up. I can tell you, I’ll be purchasing a discussion set of this book for my library and I can wait to get it in the hands of teens.

This book is beautifully written, featuring a nostalgic undercurrent that is mesmerizing and unsettling. Readers will be immediately swept into Ashley’s world, recognizing their own failures in her flaws and celebrating the small victories that add up to a nuanced and well-rounded main character. With a plot that continues to climb in tension, the story is still so character-driven that readers will feel all of the heart and personal emotion in the landscape of a tumultuous time in our history.

This book is told from Ashley, a 17 year old African American girls perspective during 1992. The Rodney King verdict has just come in and there a riots in LA and surrounding areas. As Ashley's world is affected by the riots she begins to see the world through different eyes. Soon Ashley's life will change in so many ways. As things change one thing stays consistent and that's the love of your family.

Being an ‘only’ in a classroom full of white people is a circumstance so many kids of color find themselves in, particularly if they are recognized as ‘gifted’ or for athletics, and especially if they find themselves attending school in a white, suburban area. Ashley Bennett, the protagonist of The Black Kids by Christina Hammond Reed, happens to be pretty fortunate in this circumstance, as her parents have made their way into predominantly white Southern Californian suburban life by attaining high-paying socially elite jobs that meant she grew up in a world where she could afford the same privileges in life as her white peers. Unfortunately for Ashley, this is only true of material privileges, something she’s always noticed though her awareness grows exponentially during her last semester in high school.

Lately, when it comes to doing fun things with her friends — which may or may not involve underage drinking and partaking in other substances, trespassing, and skipping school — Ashley is finding herself a) less happy with hanging out with her friends than ever and b) increasingly unable to relate to them. Where it’s tempting to write these off as typical growing pains teens go through to adjust from the friend groups they needed to get through school to make space for the friends they’ll make when they go to college, it is clear that Ashley feels she cannot bring up her family and the way they’re responding to the Rodney King unrest to Courtney, Heather, or Kimberly. For one, Kimberly is absorbed with making her high school romance an everlasting situation. Courtney only really speaks to Ashley to vent about her own worries about getting into a good college, which she says Ashley is lucky not to worry about because of her Blackness guaranteeing her a spot. While Heather is happy to talk about feminism, as she also feels othered by being Jewish, she is also happy to use THAT Yoko Ono quote to exemplify her wokeness. At home, Ashley’s parents are too invested in their work lives, not-so-perfect marriage, and wayward older daughter, Jo, to give Ashley the sounding board she so needs.

Luckily, Ashley does not depend on any of these people to provide her emotional support. That role falls instead to Lucia, her family’s live-in housekeeper and nanny that she’s known since elementary school. Lucia is the first person Ashley calls when she’s in trouble and the person who sees her true feelings, even when she’s trying to hide them from herself. So when Ashley’s sister gets involved in the social justice movement, stirring up the Bennett household’s normalcy, Lucia is who Ashley leans on, while also realizing how selfish she is to do so. It is through Ashley’s conversations with Lucia and Jo that we learn her fears and wants, what makes her tick. It is through Ashley’s observations that we see how little things have changed over time, while also getting a glimpse into the past.

The Black Kids is an interesting title for a book in which we spend the majority of the time with one Black kid, though it makes sense given that the Black kids of which it speaks are the two ‘types’ of Black kids who grow up in white, suburban environments that Ashley and Jo represent. I think this logic holds up through the book and stays true to the ending that each character receives, though ultimately, I found myself happier with the first two acts of the book than the final. The author set up explorations of queerness that never came to fruition and created relationships towards the end of the story that seemed more confusing than thoughtful.

Overall, I would recommend this book to readers who want to be taken back to the pulse of the ‘90s and high school from the vantage of a privileged Black Californian girl that does a good job of showing the ways people under oppression struggle with similar fates across country and time. Possible trigger warnings for mental health, racism, abuse, and substance using.

This book is almost too prescient, particularly considering it is set at the time of the Rodney King beating. And yet here we are, nearly 30 years on, and we seem to be no further along in combatting police violence. It is heartbreaking for me as a white woman, I can only imagine how it must feel for Black people in America. A much needed book.

This book is incredible! The story of Ashley is one that needs to be told. She's the "Lisa Turtle" of her school, the Black kid that hangs out with the white kids and this is how it's always been. Microaggressions sting, but she doesn't speak up. Her wealthy parents have always sheltered her from their family and community history. At first, Ashley notes that she doesn't dwell on the fact that Rodney King is brutally beaten by the law enforcement that is supposed to protect him. But, as the story unfolds, Ashley begins to confront the racism that permeates her community, school, and friendships.

The writing is fantastic. In fact, I plan on teaching this in my creative writing workshop, particularly in regard to how Christina Hammonds Reed uses dialogue and flashback. As a writer, I learned a great deal from this book and found myself taking notes for my own work.

Two things:
1. The vocab was a little high for YA at times...but I was able to attribute that to a smart protagonist.
2. The pacing of the ending was a bit slow.

This is a timely, coming-of-age read set in Los Angeles in 1992. It is addresses things currently occurring in our society, but it uses the 1992 Rodney King Riots to do so. If you enjoyed The Hate U Give, you'll likely enjoy this one, as well. It's a relevant read that is sometimes difficult. I'd recommend it to older teens and up.

The first-person POV allows the reader added insight into Ashley's life, making the book more relevant. You're able to feel what she's experiencing.

Relevant topics addressed include: police brutality, social injustice, racism, mental health, and socioeconomic status. These are handled in an appropriate way for a YA (young adult) audience. It's labeled "historical," which it is, though it's hard to view the 1990s as "historical."

ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley.

3.5 stars
A historical fiction novel that feels contemporary! This book is set in 1992 during the LA police riots. It was very easy to become invested in the story and see what would happen next; however, I struggled to connect to the main character, her family, and friends. With that being sad, I did enjoy seeing the main character, a wealthy, black, teenage girl offer who own point of view and become more and more aware of who she is. She begins to embrace her own identity. This point of view is different from most other we come to read in similar novels.

This book covers important topics including police brutality, social injustice, racism, mental health, and socioeconomic status, but does so in a way that is accessible to a YA+ audience.

“Sometimes people, they see your skin, and all they know of you is war."

17-year-old Ashley Bennett is a Black girl from an upper-class family living in a white neighborhood in Los Angeles in 1992. .All of her friends are white. She sees herself as separate from "the black kids" at her school. Throughout the story, the L.A. riots are brewing and then erupting just miles from Ashley's home, right where some of her Black classmates live. Her older sister becomes involved in the riots and Ashley starts to really take note of all of the injustice around her, affecting those who share her skin tone. I didn't want this book to end! There are a few references to drug use and sex so I would recommend this book for high school-aged kids.

I loved this one. You almost forget that it's set in the 1990s at times, but the pop culture references and the lack of our current technology does bring it to the forefront now and then. (Shout out to the prom makeup in particular.) Ashley's position within her communities - the privilege of relative wealth and being one of the few black kids in her school - helps to bring in readers and give them information on the whole range of issues that comes up through the course of the story. I would say that The Black Kids belongs in a collection with Nic Stone's Dear Martin and Angie Thomas' The Hate U Give, although The Black Kids is significantly less intense than either of those. Definitely recommended.

This book gave me all the feels, from frustration to understanding. Although I have never experienced racism or acts related to it personally, I have always been aware that it is a huge problem and have done my part to ensure that I never treat anyone with anything but the respect that they deserve as a human. I sincerely appreciate books like this because they can allow me to dive into a world that I might not otherwise experience, which is really crucial in learning how to best support others who do face such injustices.

What a wild ride! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read such a fantastic book. I will be recommending this to others!

I absolutely devoured this book. I loved the characters and the setting. I’m embarrassed to say that there was so much in this book about the Los Angeles Riots that I didn’t know. My students will be pulled into the story and enjoy learning about a period in history they certainly don’t learn about in their social studies classes.

For fans of books like The Hate U Give, this new titles is as much about police brutality and racism in the same vein of books like Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi.

While The Hate U Give is a contemporary story, The Black Kids is set in the early 1990s and explore the aftermath of LA after the police who beat Rodney King within an inch of his life were acquired of their crimes.

Our main character is Ashley, who hails from a wealthy black family that has worked hard to create a better life for her and her destructive older sisters who becomes embroiled in the race riots that sweep the city after the verdict.

The Black Kids paints a complicated portrait of identity and class. Many authors are hails Reed’s book as essentially anti-racist reading and I would agree. There is still so much work to be done and novels like this remind me of that.

Overall, I gave this one 4/5 stars and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a heavy, ownvoices novel that examine who we are and the role we all play in society and the world

This might be among my top favorite reads for 2020. What I absolutely loved about this book is the raw honesty we were able to see with our main character. She wasn’t perfect, she made mistakes, and every teen can connect with that. The writing is impeccable and that close first person narrative really drew me in. Also as a huge 90’s music fan I was sent to major reminiscing and finally agreed that yes this is historical fiction as much as I want to deny that for my own age purposes! This is a must read, a coming of age story and one we often don’t get to see-a Black privileged girl growing into her identity and understanding of the larger issues in the world that will impact her regardless of how affluent she is. Race is still a factor. So smartly done under the backdrop of the Rodney King Trial which gave an awakening to so many people at the time. And sadly still timely. In the classroom and for readers wanted note of this era I’d pair the Black Kids and Steph Cha’s Your House Will Pay. Five stars, great read.

A compelling and grounded historic read, The Black Kids offers an intelligent perspective that is alarmingly relevant today. I must admit, I was not well educated on the 1992 Rodney King Riots before reading this novel, but I am now committed to continuing to learning more.

Ashley Bennett’s voice was perfect for this story as a quintessential teen. She was far from perfect, and that’s exactly what we needed. Her socioeconomic status left her privileged and unaware—at times, she was outright impolite in collaboration with her mean-girl posse. However, we appreciate a character who learns and grows!! The Black Kids can also be considered a coming-of-age novel as Ashley reckons with the combination of her wealth and her Blackness, and what it means to be both in her LA neighborhood.

I know talking about atmosphere is usually reserved for SFF books, but I’d say historical fiction is a hard genre to get right as well. It’s strange to me that the 90’s are considered historical now, because I mostly couldn’t distinguish this novel from a contemporary aside from the absence of iPhones and laptops. Regardless of that, it definitely gave off California vibes. Refer to my moodboard below for the New Englander’s perspective of what a “California vibe” is. The structure of the novel, with flashbacks to earlier times in Ashley’s lief

The first-person narration and full account of Ashley’s life made the book that much more special for me. Taking away the measure of separation between the reader and the narration brings Ashley’s perspective, and the lessons she learns, to the forefront of the book. We feel her pain just as much as we see her mistakes, and we’re compelled to root for her through both the good times and the bad. I particularly appreciated Ashley’s interactions with her friends. Her wealthy white friends’ insensitive comments about race and deep-seated misunderstanding of the dangers Ashley could face when interacting with police officers is powerful (and sadly familiar to many BIPOC readers). I loved Ashley’s developing understanding of the kind of friendships she truly wants, and her later chats with LeShawn and Lana made me so happy because I felt that she truly was forming healthy relationships.

I would highly recommend this novel to all readers. I can’t stress enough how essential it is, for both its existence as a historical YA covering an event many young Americans may not even know about, but also for its amazing writing and delivery.