Children's ✦ Penny’s Take
Take Back the Block
Chrystal D. Giles · 2022
85/100
👍 Worth It
Wes Henderson is the kind of reluctant hero middle-grade readers recognize in themselves, and the gentrification storyline is both timely and specific enough to feel real rather than didactic. The ILA Social Justice Literature Award and starred reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal don't come easily — this book earned them. Parents should be ready to discuss the police scene with younger readers, but that conversation is worth having.
✦ Penny’s Take — this is The Review Group’s own editorial assessment. Penny’s analytical review line researched this book from real sources and scored it across the lenses shown below. It’s an honest first-party read — not a page-by-page personal one. The gold ✓ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
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Show the math
Verdict receipt0–100
safety82
substance86
craft84
originality82
accuracy88
hype80
age-fit88
human-eye86
Penny’s verdict85
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