Onyx & Beyond

Black 10-year-old Onyx, who lives with his grandmother and mother, is obsessed with the moon, stones, and space travel. After Onyx’s grandmother dies, he is tasked with the responsibility of caring for his mother, who has early onset dementia. This includes cooking meals, getting himself ready for school, and making sure no one finds out about her worsening symptoms, or risk social services getting involved. Onyx then plots to steal a piece of a moon rock from the Smithsonian space exhibit (“I have to get a tiny part of this rock for Mama”), convinced that it will help his mother get her memories back. Set in the 1970s, this meandering verse novel by McBride (Gone Wolf) depicts several historical events, including the assassination of Dr. King and desegregation within public schools, and their effects on Onyx. Surreal descriptions of the protagonist’s inner thoughts—“I grew wings,” he whispers upon discovering a mural while on a walk with his mother—interspersed throughout add gentle magic to this perceptive interpretation of a child growing up with a caregiver navigating illness. Ages 8–12. Agent: Elena Giovinazzo, Pippin Properties. (Oct.)