A-Train Allen - Social Justice Books

Reviewed by Vanessa Williams

Review Source: Teaching for Change
Book Author: Lesley Younge

Quick! Hurry! Lickety-split!

Dash over and read Lesley Younge’s A-Train Allen, a darling story that reads more like a hero’s errand and less like a hero’s journey because we’re not beleaguered with unwelcome visitors like devastating setbacks or insurmountable obstacles.

Simultaneously imaginative and grounded, A-Train Allen tells a unique, yet familiar story. We follow A-Train as he speeds across town by foot, going from point A to point Z, racing against an elevated train. “Got somewhere to be, got somewhere to be” is A-Train’s refrain as we whiz past community strongholds such as the library, post office, parks, and corner markets with him. Readers meet A-Train and the various characters who make up their community: older men playing chess in the park, library patrons reading their newly-borrowed books, post office workers driving along their routes. Readers (try to) closely follow A-Train as he traverses the route to his final destination, but you’re still left guessing where he’s rushing to until you get to the penultimate pages.

Captivating as a solo read or delivered aloud for audiences large and small, A-Train Allen tells an endearing story that holds the attention of its reader from cover to cover. Dear reader, run, don’t walk, to read this book. After all, you don’t want to miss (the) A-Train, do you?

Vanessa Williams (she/her/hers) is the program manager for D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice, a project of Teaching for Change. Previously she taught middle and high school social studies for six years. Williams has writing published in Rethinking Schools and EdPost and has participated in panels for the Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium and Communities for Just Schools Fund.

A-Train Allen by Lesley Younge
Published by Sleeping Bear Press on 2023
Genres: Grandparents and Elders, Neighborhoods
Pages: 32
Reading Level: Grade K, Grades 1-2
ISBN: 9781534111837
Review Source: Teaching for Change

Publisher's Synopsis: Everyone in the neighborhood knows Allen is the fastest kid around. As soon as school lets out, he's racing through the park, past the library, and down the sidewalks. They call him A-Train because he's practically faster than the subway. ZOOM! But where is Allen off to every afternoon?

"Got somewhere to be! Got somewhere to be!" he calls. Race through the city with A-Train and discover what finally gets him to slow down. An Own Voices, Own Stories Grand Prize winner.

Reviewed by Vanessa Williams

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