Henson Blayze is a 13–year-old teen entering 8th grade. He’s looking forward to the new school year, playing football, and seeing Freida St. Louis, the girl he’s had a crush on for years. The small, mostly-white town of Great Mountain, Mississippi see Henson as their star, savior, and ticket to a varsity football championship. They make shirts, give him special privileges and food, and he even has an agent, a friend named Flowell. Some of the Black people in town warn Henson that most people don’t see him for who he really is, and to be careful. Henson brushes that off, especially after the beginning of his first game, where he helps his team score over 30 points as the starting safety. At halftime, however, he learned that his close friend, 10-year-old Menkah Jupiter, was beaten within inches of his life by two white police officers. Henson goes to him, which infuriates most of the townspeople, who want their superstar back on the field. Their adoration for him turns to fury, and Henson must soon decide if football is more important than supporting Menkah. The more Henson learns from his father, a local vineyard owner, and Freida, the more he realizes what he must do.

Henson Blayze is what makes this story a must read! The light in which he sees others, to a fault, makes him naïve yet noble. His superhero-like abilities make him loved and adored by his fans, but one decision changes him into other famous athletes that sought justice like Colin Kaepernick. Readers will realize Henson should still be loved, even when his community turns against him. I loved the tall tale-like stories woven within, as well as the history of the Blayze family and Great Mountain. Another epic read by Derrick Barnes!

Like his beautifully unique name, thirteen-year-old Henson Blayze does indeed shine brightly and attracts attention wherever he goes. When he's chosen to be the star player on his high school football team, even though he's still in middle school, he becomes a celebrity in his small, mostly white Mississippi town. But when his ten-year-old best friend, Menkah, is brutally beaten by police officers on the night of his first game, Henson chooses to stay with him rather than play. As the townsfolk immediately switch from seeming adulation to vitriol, releasing their barely-latent racism, Henson must decide whether he wants to continue takins his stand, and what that means for his future.


The author has created an engrossing story that crosses multiple genres, integrating magical realism, folklore and history with the coming-of-age framework. The ending of the book admittedly took me a few passes to get through, but it fit in with the book's atmosphere and it was satisfying to see Henson realize the full scope of his power. It's significant that this story is set in the Deep South, in the Delta region, an area known for the rich history embedded in its distinctive landscape, one that has beauty but also more than its share of pain and blood, both literal and figurative. I also appreciate that the author doesn't hold back from showing the viciousness of the townsfolk and their lack of care; very few of them are redeemable, which is realistic and important to show in works like this, even as it's a difficult truth to deal with. I also loved the many ways that Barnes shows how the town's history, and the atrocities that took place there, are still evident in the present day; floating in the atmosphere and embedded in the emotional and cultural memories of its residents, whether they are conscious of it or not.

Henson is a deeply sensitive protagonist, one who recognizes and feels things before he has the ability to name it, unlike his crush (and emotional guide as he grows into greater social and racial awareness) Frieda, who pushes him to confront what has always been in front of him. Henson is also instinctively compassionate and follows his heart, and doesn't need to be coaxed into doing the right thing; it's the greater implications of ramifications of his (correct) decision that drives the story's tension. His internal perspective as he realizes the town's adultification of him and Mensah, and the way in which they view him as an object to be used for their entertainment, is heartbreaking and well-drawn, and something which no child should have to experience. But his hurt and anger also push him onward to resist, standing in his right to be. He realizes that his worth doesn't lie in his abilities or others' projections of what they think he should be, but the fact that he is a human being, period, one who deserves to live his life and enjoy it, including his youth. This assertion of our own humanity is a common refrain in Black thought throughout the centuries, and I hope that young readers will use that message and apply it to their own lives.

Henson's family history (he comes from generations of independent Black landowners) and current makeup also contribute to his growing sense of self. The book also subtly shows his process of trying to make sense of his place and role in his family and his loving, but also complex relationship with his father following his mother's death. The character of Deacon Blayze is also drawn well, one whose perspectives and reticence are driven by his pride in his family history and his own experiences of growing up in the town, as well as the loss of his wife. The Blayze family background is detailed well and serves as a further inspiration to Henson. They were present from the town's beginning, who have never had to depend on patronage from others in order to survive, in spite of racist violence and repeated threats against them.


Derrick Barnes has long established himself as an excellent youth author over the past few decades. He's transitioned well between book genres and even different age levels, from picture books to YA to middle grade and back. established himself as an author to be reckoned with. The deep love that he has for Black children and Black boys in particular can be felt through the pages; showing them that they are important and loved is clearly a guiding light for his work. The introduction describing his decade plus process of creating this work is a necessary read, and it's clear that he sees this book as a mission, one that remains timely. While reading the introduction, I realized that the readers in the target audience might not have been born at the time of the police shootings of young Black boys which he uses as inspiration, which makes books like this even more necessary. I look forward to reading discussion guides for this book upon its realize and seeing reader reactions to it.



Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Viking Books for Young Readers (Penguin) for this DRC in exchange for a fair and honest review. The thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

*Youth Reviewer Nomination: (September 2025, Pending)
The Best Children's Books of the Year 2026 (for books published in 2025)
Children’s Book Committee at Bank Street Center for Children's Literature

*Youth Reviewer Nomination: (October 2025, Pending)
School Library Journal- Heavy Medal Mock Newbery 2026 Blog

*Reading Athlete Selection
Best Books of 2025

A modern sports coming of age story with an original framework that combines magical realism, social perspectives of black history in America, and honest but carefully crafted attention to sensitive subject matter. Punctuated with American folklore style community myths about impossible heroes and unbelievable feats, the fantastical elements are are connected to historical reality of both Native American and African American experience.

The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze brought to mind iconic folklore figures like John Henry with real- history legends like 1968 Olympian Tommie Smith, the subject of Barnes' 2022 Award-winning graphic novel, Victory. Stand! (a great pre-read reference for this middle grade novel.) The combination of exaggerated stories, history and destructive current events blur the lines between hopeful myth and harsh reality- making the book compelling to read while lighting the way to important discussions about human value within communities.

References to blues music (such as Edward James "Son" House Jr. ) was great and provides a great side play-list for readers interested in that experience.

Sensitive attention to police brutality, racism, stereotypes, mental health and the de-humanization of athletes as entertainment to be viewed and exploited is balanced with a hopeful, service forward, healing journey that leads the protagonist, Henderson Blaze through a sea of great books toward future literary awards discussion and podium.

Reading Athlete designated quote from The Incredibly Human Henderson Blaze by Derrick Barnes
Chapter 22 of digital ARC (Loc 1182 of 2987)
"Just make sure you keep your head in the books, son. One day your legs are not going to bae able to churn the way they do. But your mind, if you take care of yourself, it'll only get stronger. Understand?"












Formal Blog Post Fall 2025

The premise of this book was so promising but sadly the magical realism didn’t flow with the storyline for me. That does not lessen the impact of Henson’s story, however. This book deals with many serious but important topics such as racism, police brutality, grief, and slavery, and it could easily be adapted for teaching. This book would be a meaningful example of how Black people are still treated as if they “belong” to anyone but themselves and as if they are commodities that can be forced into action or life paths at the will of others. I know many parts of this book will stick with me for years.

In Great Mountain, Mississippi, Henson is a freshman varsity football prodigy in a predominantly white community. When a friend of his is brutally assaulted by cops, Henson awakens to the injustice of it all. As his father tries to change his mind by sharing their family’s history, Henson isn’t swayed. As the community starts threatening him to go back to playing football or else, Henson must decide what’s best for his friends, family, and himself. What will Henson decide?

The plot is well written, thought-provoking, and engaging. The characters are authentic, believable, and well developed. The political and racism undertones in the book are overbearing and may bother some readers. Readers who like realistic fiction, sport fiction, and standing up for what one believes in will want to pick this one up. Recommended for general purchase where such books are popular. 2 stars, Gr 6 to 8.

Though I loved the premise of this book--star athlete's life turned upside down when an incident with a police makes him more aware than ever of racial realities in his community--the writing style made it hard for me to get invested. It almost reminded me of Casey at Bat, in the way heightened way it was written that didn't feel quite like reality while dealing with a very real topic. That's fully a personal preference thing though, and I'm sure it will click better with others.