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The Boy in the Black Suit
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Published:
Atheneum Books for Young Readers 2015
Accelerated Reader:
IL: MG+ - BL: 4.8 - AR Pts: 10
Lexile measure:
HL: High-Low 760L
Status:
Checked Out
Description
A 2016 Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book

Just when seventeen-year-old Matt thinks he can't handle one more piece of terrible news, he meets a girl who's dealt with a lot more—and who just might be able to clue him in on how to rise up when life keeps knocking him down—in this "vivid, satisfying, and ultimately upbeat tale of grief, redemption, and grace" (Kirkus Reviews) from the Coretta Scott King – John Steptoe Award–winning author of When I Was the Greatest.

Matt wears a black suit every day. No, not because his mom died—although she did, and it sucks. But he wears the suit for his gig at the local funeral home, which pays way better than the Cluck Bucket, and he needs the income since his dad can't handle the bills (or anything, really) on his own. So while Dad's snagging bottles of whiskey, Matt's snagging fifteen bucks an hour. Not bad. But everything else? Not good. Then Matt meets Lovey. Crazy name, and she's been through more crazy stuff than he can imagine. Yet Lovey never cries. She's tough. Really tough. Tough in the way Matt wishes he could be. Which is maybe why he's drawn to her, and definitely why he can't seem to shake her. Because there's nothing more hopeful than finding a person who understands your loneliness—and who can maybe even help take it away.
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Format:
Adobe EPUB eBook, Kindle Book, OverDrive Read
Street Date:
01/06/2015
Language:
English
ISBN:
9781442459526
ASIN:
B00BOUK4R4
Accelerated Reader:
MG+
Level 4.8, 10 Points
Lexile code:
HL: High-Low
Lexile measure:
760
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Citations
APA Citation (style guide)

Jason Reynolds. (2015). The Boy in the Black Suit. Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)

Jason Reynolds. 2015. The Boy in the Black Suit. Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)

Jason Reynolds, The Boy in the Black Suit. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2015.

MLA Citation (style guide)

Jason Reynolds. The Boy in the Black Suit. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2015.

Note! Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2022. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy.
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Grouped Work ID:
f77b92a3-9625-9295-6bb7-14d15435b1f7
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Needs Update?:
No
Date Added:
Jun 12, 2018 17:56:38
Date Updated:
Oct 26, 2021 10:47:39
Last Metadata Check:
Mar 24, 2024 09:24:56
Last Metadata Change:
Feb 05, 2024 17:31:25
Last Availability Check:
Mar 24, 2024 09:24:59
Last Availability Change:
Mar 15, 2024 08:39:18
Last Grouped Work Modification Time:
Mar 28, 2024 02:11:39

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keywords
      • value: Friendship
      • value: funerals
      • value: brooklyn
      • value: high school
      • value: father
      • value: love
      • value: Alcoholism
      • value: Death
      • value: black
      • value: Son
      • value: grief
      • value: New York
      • value: loss
      • value: funeral home
      • value: Coretta Scott King
      • value: Walter Dean Myers
      • value: 2016
      • value: black lives matter
      • value: #blacklivesmatter
      • value: blacklivesmatter
      • value: the outsiders
      • value: Jason Reynolds
      • value: Christopher Paul Curtis
      • value: margaret a. edwards award
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      • role: Author
      • fileAs: Reynolds, Jason
      • bioText: Jason Reynolds is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, a Newbery Award Honoree, a Printz Award Honoree, a two-time National Book Award finalist, a Kirkus Award winner, a UK Carnegie Medal winner, a two-time Walter Dean Myers Award winner, an NAACP Image Award Winner, an Odyssey Award Winner and two-time honoree, and the recipient of multiple Coretta Scott King honors and the Margaret A. Edwards Award. He was also the 2020–2022 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. His many books include All American Boys (cowritten with Brendan Kiely); When I Was the Greatest; The Boy in the Black Suit; Stamped; As Brave as You; For Every One; the Track series (Ghost, Patina, Sunny, and Lu); Look Both Ways; Stuntboy, in the Meantime; Ain't Burned All the Bright (recipient of the Caldecott Honor) and My Name Is Jason. Mine Too. (both cowritten with Jason Griffin); and Long Way Down, which received a Newbery Honor, a Printz Honor, and a Coretta Scott King Honor. His debut picture book, There Was a Party for Langston, won a Caldecott Honor and a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor. He lives in Washington, DC. You can find his ramblings at JasonWritesBooks.com.
      • name: Jason Reynolds
publishDate
2015-01-06T00:00:00-05:00
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title
The Boy in the Black Suit
fullDescription
A 2016 Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book

Just when seventeen-year-old Matt thinks he can't handle one more piece of terrible news, he meets a girl who's dealt with a lot more—and who just might be able to clue him in on how to rise up when life keeps knocking him down—in this "vivid, satisfying, and ultimately upbeat tale of grief, redemption, and grace" (Kirkus Reviews) from the Coretta Scott King – John Steptoe Award–winning author of When I Was the Greatest.

Matt wears a black suit every day. No, not because his mom died—although she did, and it sucks. But he wears the suit for his gig at the local funeral home, which pays way better than the Cluck Bucket, and he needs the income since his dad can't handle the bills (or anything, really) on his own. So while Dad's snagging bottles of whiskey, Matt's snagging fifteen bucks an hour. Not bad. But everything else? Not good. Then Matt meets Lovey. Crazy name, and she's been through more crazy stuff than he can imagine. Yet Lovey never cries. She's tough. Really tough. Tough in the way Matt wishes he could be. Which is maybe why he's drawn to her, and definitely why he can't seem to shake her. Because there's nothing more hopeful than finding a person who understands your loneliness—and who can maybe even help take it away.
gradeLevels
      • value: Grade 3
      • value: Grade 4
reviews
      • premium: True
      • source: Publisher's Weekly
      • content:

        November 3, 2014
        When high school senior Matt realizes that working at the local chicken joint might mean cleaning up vomit, he reluctantly accepts a job at the neighborhood funeral parlor—the same one where his mother’s funeral was just held. To Matt’s surprise, he finds relief in watching funerals and seeing how mourners handle their grief, and he begins to grow closer to the funeral home’s owner, a local character.
        As he did in When I Was the Greatest, Reynolds portrays Brooklyn’s largely African-American Bed-Stuy neighborhood convincingly; Matt and his family are lower middle-class, as are their neighbors, but gangs and violence are a presence, as well. Coincidences and plot twists (including a car accident that conveniently helps Matt’s grieving father address his drinking problem) detract from the impact of the story as it develops. Romantic interest Lovey, a very appealing girl Matt meets at her grandmother’s funeral, doesn’t come on the scene until halfway through the book, and the wait feels long. An affecting story of a teenager’s path through pain, but one whose faults offset its strengths. Ages 12–up. Agent: Elena Giovinazzo, Pippin Properties.

      • premium: True
      • source: School Library Journal
      • content:

        October 1, 2014

        Gr 7 Up-Matt's mother just died, and his dad isn't coping well, hanging out with the local drunk and downing whiskey, which results in his getting hit by a car and landing in the hospital. Matt is also grieving his mom's death and now he's on his own, until he lands a job at the local funeral home: $15 an hour and Mr. Ray as his boss. Attending other people's funerals helps the teen come to grips with his own grief. Hearing mourners express their real thoughts of suffering at each funeral allows Matt to figure out his own feelings. Mr. Ray is wise and shows up at all the right times to help out the struggling young man, and when Mr. Ray's secrets come to light, he appears even cooler in Matt's eyes. Amid all this, Matt meets Lovey, the girl of his dreams, who is smart, funny, gorgeous, and tough. A mystery intersecting Lovey's life and that of Matt's best friend, Chris, deepens the plot. Written in a breezy style with complex characters who have real lives, this is another hit for Reynolds, fresh off the success of his When I Was the Greatest (S. & S., 2014). The author's seemingly effortless writing shines in this slice-of-life story, which covers a lot of the protagonist's emotional ground. The realistic setting and character-driven tale keeps readers turning the pages of this winner.-Amy Cheney, Alameda County Library, San Leandro, CA

        Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

      • premium: True
      • source: The Horn Book
      • content:

        March 1, 2015
        High-school senior Matt wears a black suit because he has a job at Mr. Ray's funeral home (setting up chairs and food for services), but also -- metaphorically -- because he himself is in mourning, for the mother who died just before the book begins and the long-on-the-wagon father who has returned to drink. Although his work responsibilities end when the funerals begin, Matt finds himself sticking around to find "the person hurting the most," hoping that his or her expression of grief will perhaps help him deal with his own. While all this sounds like heavy problem-novel territory, it isn't. Matt is a good kid with a good best friend, Chris; their Bed-Stuy neighborhood is gritty but also a place of true community. There's even a sweet romance between Matt and a girl he meets at her grandmother's funeral. With When I Was the Greatest (rev. 1/14) and now this book, Reynolds writes about urban African American kids in a way, warm and empathetic, that the late Walter Dean Myers would have applauded. roger sutton

        (Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

popularity
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shortDescription
A 2016 Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book

Just when seventeen-year-old Matt thinks he can't handle one more piece of terrible news, he meets a girl who's dealt with a lot more—and who just might be able to clue him in on how to rise up when life keeps knocking him down—in this "vivid, satisfying, and ultimately upbeat tale of grief, redemption, and grace" (Kirkus Reviews) from the Coretta Scott King – John Steptoe Award–winning author of When I Was the Greatest.

Matt wears a black suit every day. No, not because his mom died—although she did, and it sucks. But he wears the suit for his gig at the local funeral home, which pays way better than the Cluck Bucket, and he needs the income since his dad can't handle the bills (or anything, really) on his own. So while Dad's snagging bottles of whiskey, Matt's snagging fifteen bucks an hour. Not bad. But everything else? Not good. Then Matt meets Lovey. Crazy name, and...
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awards
      • source: American Library Association
      • value: Coretta Scott King Award Honor Book
      • source: American Library Association
      • value: Margaret A. Edwards Award
      • source: Young Adult Library Services Association
      • value: Best Fiction for Young Adults
publisher
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
atos
4.8
bisacCodes
      • code: YAF058050
      • description: YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Social Themes / Death, Grief, Bereavement
      • code: YAF058110
      • description: Young Adult Fiction / Social Themes / Emotions & Feelings
      • code: YAF058120
      • description: Young Adult Fiction / Social Themes / Friendship