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A review by citrus_seasalt
King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender
4.5
I’ve had mixed feelings about Kacen Callendar’s books as I read them(depends on where in their published works I am), but I’m glad I’ve come back to their writing! “King And The Dragonflies” is an example of how kidlit can (sometimes) be some of the most profound stories I’ve ever read. While this wasn’t a perfect one-to-one replica of a kid’s mindset, I liked how King was flawed, sometimes struggling to make decisions if they involved people outside of himself, and learning to keep the other perspectives of his friends in mind. His self-discovery and grief were also carefully handled, and I liked how it tied into the closure to the magical realism elements. But I was a little surprised by the direction the magical realism parts went in! (Not to say it was without buildup, though. And that part of the story was closed in a straightforward way, which was refreshing to see.)
I also appreciated the intersectionality! I feel that the different ways Sandy and King are affected by homophobia and racism (and how they aren’t always separate, in the case of King) were discussed in a way that was both respectable and easy for kids to grasp. If this ends up on classroom shelves, I think this could be a great discussion starter.
The only real issues I have were the abrupt shift in attitude King’s parents had after he was outed—it didn’t have much buildup to that point and left me confused, and the ending wrapped things up a little too quickly. Most of the story was paced somewhat realistically, and that took me aback? But I know that last creative choice was made with the target demographic in mind(and I am too old to be part of that). I also would’ve liked for King’s friends to be more memorable, the only one that really stuck with me was Jasmine and that was mostly because I liked how some of the societal pressures amplified by middle school were shown in her relationship with King. (I did also think she was a sweet kid, though.)
I wish I’d cried more reading this, but this is definitely a solid grief-centered narrative.
I also appreciated the intersectionality! I feel that the different ways Sandy and King are affected by homophobia and racism (and how they aren’t always separate, in the case of King) were discussed in a way that was both respectable and easy for kids to grasp. If this ends up on classroom shelves, I think this could be a great discussion starter.
The only real issues I have were the abrupt shift in attitude King’s parents had after he was outed—it didn’t have much buildup to that point and left me confused, and the ending wrapped things up a little too quickly. Most of the story was paced somewhat realistically, and that took me aback? But I know that last creative choice was made with the target demographic in mind(and I am too old to be part of that). I also would’ve liked for King’s friends to be more memorable, the only one that really stuck with me was Jasmine and that was mostly because I liked how some of the societal pressures amplified by middle school were shown in her relationship with King. (I did also think she was a sweet kid, though.)
I wish I’d cried more reading this, but this is definitely a solid grief-centered narrative.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Outing
Moderate: Hate crime and Racism