Boy in the Black Suit

Matt's new job at a funeral home is just the thing to help him through his grief.

This book sounds depressing and maybe a bit macabre. After all, the protagonist starts wearing his black suit everywhere he goes, even school. He gets a sense of relief attending the funerals of people he doesn't even know because it lets him know he isn't alone. But this book is really about how Matt (a superbly drawn and likeable character) goes from crisis and disconnection to finding joy, friendship and the possibility of something more than friendship, developing in such a sweet yet powerful way. I also loved the way Matt's Brooklyn neighborhood was almost another character- by turns vibrantly alive and dangerous. Jason Reynolds is a writer whose every book is worth reading, and Corey Allen's narration nails Matt's personality perfectly.