An emotional story of a young man experiencing grief and anger that prompt him to test boundaries and push family relationships. Real and affecting.

Clayton Byrd idolizes his blues-musician grandfather, Cool Papa. Clayton plays the blues harp, or harmonica, and longs for the day when he’s invited to play a solo with his grandpa’s group. When Cool Papa unexpectedly dies, Clayton’s mother doesn’t understand his feelings of loss and he must go on a musical journey to get closure. The writing is vibrant and the story is full of heart. Highly recommended for 10 and up!

This book is very good, and it's very good in several different ways: 1. It's a very moving and convincing portrayal of a kid's grief. 2. It portrays an interesting and complex relationship between a mother and a father without feeling the need to resolve it neatly at the end. 3. It's only 160 pages long, but contains a totally satisfying emotional arc for Clayton as he copes with the death of his beloved grandfather. Rita Williams-Garcia is so talented; fans of her previous work will love this.