Freewater, Amina Luqman-Dawson’s 2023 Newbery Award winner, was told from several viewpoints, mostly that of Homer, a 12-year old runaway haunted by having left his mother behind at Southerland, a brutal slave plantation. The contrast between Homer and his younger sister’s introduction to a free Black community in the depth of a swamp and life on the plantation, was painful. At Southerland, the white owner’s daughter Nora was more and more dismayed by the cruelties of slavery as her mother and sister focused on a  lavish wedding. The suspense between free people and enslavers was dreadful, the tension between some characters in the swamp and at Southerland was so thick that I had to read this one slowly. Heavy stuff.

I couldn’t think of a better book to end this reading project with than, The Eyes & The Impossible, Dave Eggers’ 2024 winner. This fabulous story with a marvelous cast of animal characters and wonderful illustrations kept me going from the first page. What gave this story so much appeal was the stray park dog’s cunning remarks on human and animal behavior. The plot got more outrageous as it went. Absolutely delightful!

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