Snitchers

August 8, 2022
Still grieving the death of her father, 14-year-old Nia Barnes, who lives in the predominantly Black small town of Train, Ind., spends her time babysitting inquisitive five-year-old Little Petey, going to church with her grandmother, or listening to gossipy Ms. Torrence recount disheartening tales of gun violence and the whippings she received as a child. Nia is running late for babysitting duty when Little Petey dies in a drive-by shooting. While the community mourns, Nia and her best friends resolve to find out who is behind his death. She uses the skills she picked up from her beloved Nancy Drew novels to gather clues, but as tensions in Train rise, she worries about being labeled a snitch (“Snitching is like when you part of the crime, and you tell to cut a deal for yourself. That’s not what this is,” Nia rationalizes to her worried friends), and the potentially harmful consequences that uncovering the truth could incur. Nia’s letters to her Palestinian pen pal, Alima, feature throughout, providing insight as she processes her guilt over Little Petey’s death. Debut author Dunn’s occasionally flat narrative voice tempers what is otherwise an adept look into contemporary social issues such as gun violence and Black-on-Black crime. Ages 12–up.

August 1, 2022
An Indiana teen and her friends try to make sense of the violence in their predominantly African American community. Rising ninth grader Nia has been trying to find some sense of normality after her paramedic father was murdered during a routine assignment three years ago. Her once-expansive world now myopically circles around her beloved Nancy Drew mysteries, church, best friends Dontay and Miracle Ruth, and Alima, her Palestinian pen pal. Nia is running late to babysit 5-year-old Little Petey when shooting erupts, and he is killed while playing in front of his grandmother's house. Nia's guilt--she thinks if she'd arrived on time to watch him, Little Petey might still be alive--leads her to persuade Dontay and Miracle Ruth to help her find the culprit for his murder. Their investigation takes an unexpected turn with the reappearance of Fernando, their Puerto Rican school friend, and his brother. Nia processes her feelings about the neighborhood violence in her letters to Alima, who has also been touched by death and whose experiences parallel hers. The story explores the impact on young people of living with a constant awareness of violence, for example, through Miracle Ruth's recitations of gun violence statistics and Nia's desire to get justice for Little Petey, tempered by her fear of being labeled a snitch. Authentic, complex, and compelling friendships lie at the heart of this timely novel. A thrilling story grounded in a thoughtful exploration of social themes. (Fiction. 12-16)

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