Author: G. Neri
Illustrator: Randy DuBurke
ISBN 13: 978-1584302674
This realistically illustrated novel tells the true story of Robert Sandifer, AKA Yummy. Yummy lived in the south side of Chicago, an urban area terrorized by gangs and drugs. At a very young age, Yummy set out to prove himself as a "tough shorty." He began committing crimes for a tough local gang. It wasn't long before he was going in and out of jail just like his drug addicted mom. His father was serving a lifetime sentence in prison, and everyone had reason to believe that soon, Yummy would be too.
Then a terrible and heart-breaking thing happened. 11-year-old Yummy killed an innocent 14-year-old girl in his neighborhood. Police didn't find him for days. When they finally did, they found him shot to death by the gang he served.
In a graphic novel with haunting illustrations that are true to life, Neri succeeds in telling a very disturbing but necessary story. Told through the eyes of a young male protagonist, this story poses questions that might easily facilitate important classroom discussions. Appropriate to young teens, Yummy explores consequence in the context of circumstance and delineates the tragic and conflated influences that have led to these, and many other senseless deaths like them. An ALA Notable Book and a Coretta Scott King Honor book.
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