Light It Up - by Kekla Magoon (Paperback)

About the Book

A powerful, layered story about injustice and strength told in a series of vignettes from multiple viewpoints.

Book Synopsis

Told in a series of vignettes from multiple viewpoints, Kekla Magoon's Light It Up is a powerful, layered story about injustice and strength--as well as an incredible follow-up to the highly acclaimed novel How It Went Down.

A girl walks home from school. She's tall for her age. She's wearing her winter coat. Her headphones are in. She's hurrying.

She never makes it home.

In the aftermath, while law enforcement tries to justify the response, one fact remains: a police officer has shot and killed an unarmed thirteen-year-old girl. The community is thrown into upheaval, leading to unrest, a growing movement to protest the senseless taking of black lives, and the arrival of white supremacist counter demonstrators.

This title has Common Core connections.

Review Quotes

"A clarion call for action." --Booklist, starred review

"A stellar and important read." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"This gritty, emotional tale will leave readers gutted and compelled to stand against flawed systems." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Nuanced . . . . Thought-provoking." --School Library Journal, starred review

How It Went Down:

A Coretta Scott King Honor Book

"The layered voices tell a story both simple and complicated, heartbreaking and maddening." --The Chicago Tribune

"In How It Went Down, Kekla Magoon deftly renders us witnesses to an all-too-common news flash in uncommon, unflinching prose. Gripping to the end." --Rita Williams-Garcia Newbery Honor winner, National Book Award finalist, and Coretta Scott King Award winner

"A hard-hitting look at the ripple effects of one act of violence on an entire community. How It Went Down is engrossing and real--it's the right book at the right time." --Coe Booth, LA Times Book Prize winner

"Magoon masterfully captures the cycle of urban violence and the raw emotions of the young people who can't escape its impact." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

"How It Went Down is a snapshot in time, a fascinating study of people caught in the crosshairs of an 'Event.' . . . A particularly timely tale that can create dialogue and provide understanding about the decisions other people make, and the actions they take." --VOYA, starred review

About the Author

Kekla Magoon is the author of several books for young adults, including 37 Things I Love, the Coretta Scott King Honor/John Steptoe Award-winning The Rock and the River, and the Coretta Scott King Honor book How It Went Down. She has also contributed to the anthology Dear Heartbreak: YA Authors and Teens on the Dark Side of Love. She lives in Vermont.