Found Boys by S.D. Smith

Rating: Needs strong parent supervision

Reading Level: Late Elementary (racism content)

An honest story navigating the Klan, racism, and forgiveness. Brings up a hotbed of ideas needing parent supervision. The author clearly is for forgiveness and restoration, but kids need guidance through this one.

Possible Concerns:

• Race, racism. The kids bring to light a former Klan member and the pain he caused a black family. There’s pictures of the Klan burning a cross, and the people surround a house to protect it from the Klan. Definitely have a conversation with your reader about the evils of the Klan, of group think, and of being a follower even if you aren’t the leader.
• Confusing questions about black and white. There are so many comments that could be confusing for kids. “Do black people have black bones?” “Is it a sin to kiss a black?” “If a black and white marry, are their kids striped like zebras?” “Would you get a slave if you could? I’d get one to do my homework.” These comments are all addressed by the author, but sometimes the correct response is subtle. So make sure your kid knows the answer.
• Segregation. There are comments about how that’s where they bury their dead but we whites bury our dead in this other spot. Talk with your reader about the evil of segregation. In heaven we will all be together.
• False religion, false teaching about culture. “Aunt lucy says African drum beats conjure up spirits and it makes you bad.” Teach your reader that African drum beats themselves don’t conjure spirits; music played to God is for God. But some pagan ceremonies may use African drum beats; know the difference.
• Racist comments. “Them black kids have no respect for our forts.” Remind your reader not to lump people by skin color.
• praising a pearl- confusing with appraising
• Ghosts. The kids visit the grave of a boy who died at age 10 in a mine. They believe his ghost haunts the grave and spook themselves out.
• Cultural racism. The kids bring up the question, “Why is everything good white and everything black bad?” They think of examples of things that are dark being bad (black mood, etc.). Eventually they also think of white things that are bad (white lies). Make sure your kid knows some of this is cultural and try to think together of more counterexamples to black being bad.

Overall, this book ultimately preaches repentance, forgiveness, courage, and racial reconciliation. However, unsupervised readers may miss a lot of the point. Be sure to have the conversations with your kid that are suggested among the possible concerns listed above.