Come Home Safe

Biracial (Black and white) siblings Reed and Olive navigate racial inequality in this instructive and compassionate debut by public defender Buckmire. Singularly focused on becoming the first-ever freshman varsity soccer player at Elijah McCoy High School, 14-year-old Reed isn’t thinking about injustice when he accompanies his younger sister, Olive, home from school one afternoon. But when the siblings enter the subway, a nearby NYPD officer claims that Reed matches the description of a suspect he’s pursuing. Reed relies on the rules his Black public defender father taught him to navigate such incidents (“Don’t pick a fight with these people—not with your words and not with your body”) and does not resist arrest. As the narrative unfolds, both siblings find themselves in various frightening situations that require them to use their wits and the skills instilled in them by their parents to ensure their safety. Via informative and fast-paced text, Buckmire highlights the unjust U.S. legal system by thoughtfully rendering episodic-feeling scenarios that spotlight the conflicts Black people in America face every day just by living their lives. Ages 12–up. (Feb.)