Yummy: the Last Days of a Southside Shorty

Yummy: the Last Days of a Southside Shorty
First edition (publ. Lee & Low Books)
AuthorG. Neri
IllustratorRandy DuBurke
PublisherLee and Low Books
Publication date
July 31, 2010

Yummy: the Last Days of a Southside Shorty is a 2010 graphic novel by Greg Neri with art by Randy DuBurke, published by Lee and Low Books. The story is about Robert "Yummy" Sandifer, who was eleven years old in 1994 when he became a fugitive from justice after killing a neighbor girl while he was shooting at somebody else during a gang initiation. Neri creates a fictional narrator who watches what happens to Yummy when he seeks help from the gang he is trying to impress. Instead, they turn on him when he becomes too much of a liability to them.

Critical reception

Yummy was well received by critics, including five starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews,[1] Booklist, School Library Journal, The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, and VOYA.[citation needed]

Kirkus Reviews called the novel "a haunting, ripped-from-the-headlines account of youth gang violence in Chicago," and highlighted how it "provides the backdrop for a crucial meditation on right and wrong."[1]

On Goodreads, Yummy has an average of 3.98 out of 5 stars.[2]

Awards and honors

Yummy won a 2011 Coretta Scott King Author Honor Award[citation needed] and was named one of the Best Books of 2010 by Publishers Weekly,[3] Booklist, [citation needed] and Kirkus Reviews.[citation needed] Chicago Public Library included it on their "Best Informational Books for Older Readers of 2010" list.[4]

The novel also received the following awards and honors:

  • 2011 YALSA Top 10 Quick Picks[5]
  • 2011 IRA Notable Book for a Global Society[6]
  • Cynsational Books of 2010[7]
  • 2011 Glyph Award nomination - Story of the Year[8]
  • 2011 Simon Wiesenthal Center Museum of Tolerance Once Upon A World Children's Book Award[9]

References

  1. ^ a b "Yummy". Kirkus Reviews. 2010-06-28. Archived from the original on 2013-04-12. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  2. ^ "Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty". Good Reads. Retrieved 2020-07-12.
  3. ^ "Best Books of 2010". Publishers Weekly. November 8, 2010. Archived from the original on October 18, 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  4. ^ "Best Informational Books for Older Readers of 2010". Chicago Public Library. Archived from the original on 2023-01-15. Retrieved 2020-07-12.
  5. ^ "2011 Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). 2011-01-06. Archived from the original on 2020-06-30. Retrieved 2020-07-12.
  6. ^ "Book awards: IRA Notable Book for a Global Society". LibraryThing. Archived from the original on June 3, 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  7. ^ "Cynsational Books of 2010". Cynthia Leitich Smith. 2010-12-31. Archived from the original on 2022-11-30. Retrieved 2020-07-12.
  8. ^ MacDonald, Heidi (2011-02-16). "Syndicated Comics". Comics Beat. Archived from the original on 2021-02-27. Retrieved 2020-07-12.
  9. ^ "Once Upon A World Children's Award - Winner 2011 Award". Museum of Tolerance. Archived from the original on August 8, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2021.