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Moonwalking
For fans of Jason Reynolds and Jacqueline Woodson, this middle-grade novel-in-verse follows two boys in 1980s Brooklyn as they become friends for a season.
Punk-rock-loving JJ Pankowski can't seem to fit in at his new school in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, as one of the only White kids. Pie Velez, a math and history geek by day and graffiti artist by night, is eager to follow in his idol Jean-Michel Basquiat's footsteps. The boys stumble into an unlikely friendship, swapping notes on their love of music and art, which sees them through a difficult semester at school and at home. But a run-in with the cops threatens to unravel it all.
Moonwalking is a stunning exploration of class, cross-racial friendships, and two boys' search for belonging in a city as tumultuous and beautiful as their hearts.
Punk-rock-loving JJ Pankowski can't seem to fit in at his new school in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, as one of the only White kids. Pie Velez, a math and history geek by day and graffiti artist by night, is eager to follow in his idol Jean-Michel Basquiat's footsteps. The boys stumble into an unlikely friendship, swapping notes on their love of music and art, which sees them through a difficult semester at school and at home. But a run-in with the cops threatens to unravel it all.
Moonwalking is a stunning exploration of class, cross-racial friendships, and two boys' search for belonging in a city as tumultuous and beautiful as their hearts.
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First published January 1, 2021
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About the author
Zetta Elliott
80 books440 followersI’m a Black feminist writer of poetry, plays, essays, novels, and stories for children. I was born and raised in Canada, but have lived in the US for 30 years. I earned my PhD in American Studies from NYU in 2003; I have taught at Ohio University, Louisiana State University, Mount Holyoke College, Hunter College, Bard High School Early College, and Borough of Manhattan Community College.
My poetry has been published in New Daughters of Africa, We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices, the Cave Canem anthology, The Ringing Ear: Black Poets Lean South, Check the Rhyme: an Anthology of Female Poets and Emcees, and Coloring Book: an Eclectic Anthology of Fiction and Poetry by Multicultural Writers.
My novella, Plastique, was excerpted in T Dot Griots: an Anthology of Toronto’s Black Storytellers, and my plays have been staged in New York, Cleveland, and Chicago. My essays have appeared in School Library Journal, Horn Book, and Publishers Weekly. My short story, “The Ghost in Her Bones,” was published in a 2020 special issue of Obsidian.
My picture book, Bird, won the Honor Award in Lee & Low Books’ New Voices Contest and the Paterson Prize for Books for Young Readers. My young adult novel, A Wish After Midnight, has been called “a revelation…vivid, violent and impressive history.” Ship of Souls was published in February 2012; it was named a Booklist Top Ten Sci-fi/Fantasy Title for Youth and was a finalist for the Phillis Wheatley Book Award. My short story, “Sweet Sixteen,” was published in Cornered: 14 Stories of Bullying and Defiance in July 2012. My YA novel, The Door at the Crossroads, was a finalist in the Speculative Fiction category of the 2017 Cybils Awards, and my picture book, Melena’s Jubilee, won a 2017 Skipping Stones Honor Award. I received the Children’s Literature Association’s Article Award for my 2014 essay, “The Trouble with Magic: Conjuring the Past in New York City Parks.”
I am an advocate for greater diversity and equity in publishing, and I have self-published numerous illustrated books for younger readers under my own imprint, Rosetta Press; 3 were named Best of the Year by the Bank Street Center for Children’s Literature, and Benny Doesn’t Like to Be Hugged is a first-grade fiction selection for the 2019 Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Dragons in a Bag, a middle grade fantasy novel, was published by Random House in 2018; the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) named it a Notable Children’s Book. Its sequel, The Dragon Thief, was named a Best Middle Grade Book of 2019 by CBC Books. The fifth book in the series, The War of the Witches, will be published in January 2024. The prequel will be self-published in 2024.
Say Her Name, a young adult poetry collection, was published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers in January 2020; it was named a 2020 Book of the Year for Young People by Quill & Quire and a 2020 “Best of the Best” YA Title by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association; it was also a nominee for the YALSA 2021 Excellence in Nonfiction Award and a Top Ten title for Rise: A Feminist Book Project. Say Her Name won the 2021 Lion and the Unicorn Award for Excellence in North American Poetry.
A Place Inside of Me: a Poem to Heal the Heart from FSG was named an ALA Notable Book and a Notable Poetry Book by the National Council of Teachers of English; it won a 2021 Skipping Stones Honor Award and Noa Denmon won the Caldecott Honor Award for her stunning illustrations. Moonwalking (FSG 2022), a middle grade verse novel co-authored with Lyn Miller-Lachmann earned four starred reviews and was a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection; it made the NYPL and Bank Street College of Education’s Best Books of 2022 lists, was one of Kirkus Reviews’ 100 Best Middle Grade Books, and made the 2023 Notable Books for a Global Society list. The National Education Association has selected Moonwalking for its 2024 Read Across America program.
I was honored to
My poetry has been published in New Daughters of Africa, We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices, the Cave Canem anthology, The Ringing Ear: Black Poets Lean South, Check the Rhyme: an Anthology of Female Poets and Emcees, and Coloring Book: an Eclectic Anthology of Fiction and Poetry by Multicultural Writers.
My novella, Plastique, was excerpted in T Dot Griots: an Anthology of Toronto’s Black Storytellers, and my plays have been staged in New York, Cleveland, and Chicago. My essays have appeared in School Library Journal, Horn Book, and Publishers Weekly. My short story, “The Ghost in Her Bones,” was published in a 2020 special issue of Obsidian.
My picture book, Bird, won the Honor Award in Lee & Low Books’ New Voices Contest and the Paterson Prize for Books for Young Readers. My young adult novel, A Wish After Midnight, has been called “a revelation…vivid, violent and impressive history.” Ship of Souls was published in February 2012; it was named a Booklist Top Ten Sci-fi/Fantasy Title for Youth and was a finalist for the Phillis Wheatley Book Award. My short story, “Sweet Sixteen,” was published in Cornered: 14 Stories of Bullying and Defiance in July 2012. My YA novel, The Door at the Crossroads, was a finalist in the Speculative Fiction category of the 2017 Cybils Awards, and my picture book, Melena’s Jubilee, won a 2017 Skipping Stones Honor Award. I received the Children’s Literature Association’s Article Award for my 2014 essay, “The Trouble with Magic: Conjuring the Past in New York City Parks.”
I am an advocate for greater diversity and equity in publishing, and I have self-published numerous illustrated books for younger readers under my own imprint, Rosetta Press; 3 were named Best of the Year by the Bank Street Center for Children’s Literature, and Benny Doesn’t Like to Be Hugged is a first-grade fiction selection for the 2019 Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Dragons in a Bag, a middle grade fantasy novel, was published by Random House in 2018; the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) named it a Notable Children’s Book. Its sequel, The Dragon Thief, was named a Best Middle Grade Book of 2019 by CBC Books. The fifth book in the series, The War of the Witches, will be published in January 2024. The prequel will be self-published in 2024.
Say Her Name, a young adult poetry collection, was published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers in January 2020; it was named a 2020 Book of the Year for Young People by Quill & Quire and a 2020 “Best of the Best” YA Title by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association; it was also a nominee for the YALSA 2021 Excellence in Nonfiction Award and a Top Ten title for Rise: A Feminist Book Project. Say Her Name won the 2021 Lion and the Unicorn Award for Excellence in North American Poetry.
A Place Inside of Me: a Poem to Heal the Heart from FSG was named an ALA Notable Book and a Notable Poetry Book by the National Council of Teachers of English; it won a 2021 Skipping Stones Honor Award and Noa Denmon won the Caldecott Honor Award for her stunning illustrations. Moonwalking (FSG 2022), a middle grade verse novel co-authored with Lyn Miller-Lachmann earned four starred reviews and was a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection; it made the NYPL and Bank Street College of Education’s Best Books of 2022 lists, was one of Kirkus Reviews’ 100 Best Middle Grade Books, and made the 2023 Notable Books for a Global Society list. The National Education Association has selected Moonwalking for its 2024 Read Across America program.
I was honored to
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March 23, 2023Moonwalking is a wonderful collaborative effort between Zetta Elliott and Lyn Miller-Lachmann. Set in the 1980’s, it explores an interracial friendship between two boys who share a love for art: JJ Pankowski, a punk-rock-loving newcomer to Brooklyn, whose father has lost his job, and Pierre Velez (Pie) a brilliant boy with a single mom and Puerto-Rican roots who dreams of being an artist like Jean-Michel Basquiat. When JJ joins his school, Pie feels sorry for him and reaches out, and their friendship begins. But soon it is tested - by JJ’s prejudiced father, a racist teacher, and worst of all: a run-in with the police. Will their shared respect for creativity be enough to overcome all that threatens to tear their friendship apart? Told in verse, and alternating between the two boys’ viewpoints, this starkly realistic story, which was released to multiple starred reviews, doesn’t shy away from difficult truths, as it marches toward a moving ending.
June 14, 2022
Loved this novel of friendship told in verse.
August 27, 2022
DNF -- today I learned novels in verse are not for me.
September 9, 2022
Richie’s Picks: MOONWALKING by Zetta Elliott and Lyn Miller-Lachmann, Farrar Straus & Giroux, April 2022, 224p., ISBN: 978-0-374-31437-8
“Feet they hardly touch the ground
Walking on the moon
My feet don't hardly make no sound
Walking on, walking on the moon”
– The Police (1979)
“...meanwhile down the bloque
B-boys pop and lock
as a boom box blasts beats & rhymes
emcees flow over scratched-up tracks
and bodies bend but never break
kids not much older than me
battle on sheets of cardboard laid over concrete
I watch them wheel their legs like windmills
spin on their skullies
float over the ground as if
they’re walking
on the
moon”
“On August 5 [1981], following the PATCO workers' refusal to return to work, the Reagan administration fired the 11,345 striking air traffic controllers who had ignored the order, and banned them from federal service for life.”
– Wikipedia “Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (1968)”
“Derived from the Italian word graffio (‘scratch’), graffiti (‘incised inscriptions,’ plural but often used as singular) has a long history. For example, markings have been found in ancient Roman ruins, in the remains of the Mayan city of Tikal in Central America, on rocks in Spain dating to the 16th century, and in medieval English churches. During the 20th century, graffiti in the United States and Europe was closely associated with gangs, who used it for a variety of purposes: for identifying or claiming territory, for memorializing dead gang members in an informal ‘obituary,’ for boasting about acts (e.g., crimes) committed by gang members, and for challenging rival gangs as a prelude to violent confrontations. Graffiti was particularly prominent in major urban centres throughout the world, especially in the United States and Europe; common targets were subways, billboards, and walls. In the 1990s there emerged a new form of graffiti, known as ‘tagging,’ which entailed the repeated use of a single symbol or series of symbols to mark territory. In order to attract the most attention possible, this type of graffiti usually appeared in strategically or centrally located neighbourhoods.”
– britannica.com
A year after his striking air traffic controller father is fired by then-President Reagan, JJ Pankowski’s family’s dire financial situation requires his parents to give up ownership of their Long Island suburban house. They move back to Brooklyn, where JJ and his parents are now sharing housing with relatives. His big sister Alina, a private school scholarship student, stays behind and goes to live with her girlfriend’s family.
In his new, majority minority school, Pi catches JJ’s attention:
“...There’s this genius kid
Pierre Velez.
He calls himself Pi
not like the pie that you eat
but the mathematical symbol
that stands for 3.14 and
a whole lot of numbers that follow
that never end.
Pi’s arm shoots up with every question
skinniest brownest arm
like a raised banner
fingers scraping the sky.
None of that timid half-mast maybe.
Let’s give someone else a chance
to answer,’ teacher says
and, yes, these kids
know the answers.
I’m half a
step behind
the backbeat
to a song I've never heard before”
Star student by day, and tagger by night, Pie also comes to notice JJ.
“...there's a new kid in my class–
Whiteboy
nerdy
quiet
keeps to himself
not saying I’m Mr. Popular but
I ain’t in the market for any more friends
Manny and Oz are goofballs but they’re good enough for me
and I’m still working up the nerve to talk to Benita
I got too much to deal with at home
to take on a special project at school
but something ‘bout the way that Whiteboy
looked that day in the cafeteria made
me talk to him after class today”
Set during the early 1980s–the Reagan era–MOONWALKING is the coming-of-age story of these two boys, Pie and JJ.
Pie is in a tough home situation. In a single-parent household, he and his little sister are being cared for by his Puerto Rican immigrant mother who is mentally ill. She frequently becomes confused and is unable to hold down a job. The father Pie has never known was from Zaire. His sister Pilar has a different father, Tony who their mother dumped because he was abusive. He occasionally comes around.
Pie is hungry to grow his knowledge of art and grow his own art. He gets an opportunity to attend an extracurricular art program at a museum.
JJ is a struggling student. His art is his music. He’s learning to play guitar and is working on composing punk rock tunes. JJ’s out-of-work father immigrated from Poland with his parents when he was JJ’s age. He is another abusive male.
With problems at home and challenges at school, these two boys become friends. But things are not so simple, and there are interesting twists and plenty to ponder at the conclusion of this gritty-but-hopeful tale for tweens and teens.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
https://twitter.com/richiespicks
richiepartington@gmail.com
“Feet they hardly touch the ground
Walking on the moon
My feet don't hardly make no sound
Walking on, walking on the moon”
– The Police (1979)
“...meanwhile down the bloque
B-boys pop and lock
as a boom box blasts beats & rhymes
emcees flow over scratched-up tracks
and bodies bend but never break
kids not much older than me
battle on sheets of cardboard laid over concrete
I watch them wheel their legs like windmills
spin on their skullies
float over the ground as if
they’re walking
on the
moon”
“On August 5 [1981], following the PATCO workers' refusal to return to work, the Reagan administration fired the 11,345 striking air traffic controllers who had ignored the order, and banned them from federal service for life.”
– Wikipedia “Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (1968)”
“Derived from the Italian word graffio (‘scratch’), graffiti (‘incised inscriptions,’ plural but often used as singular) has a long history. For example, markings have been found in ancient Roman ruins, in the remains of the Mayan city of Tikal in Central America, on rocks in Spain dating to the 16th century, and in medieval English churches. During the 20th century, graffiti in the United States and Europe was closely associated with gangs, who used it for a variety of purposes: for identifying or claiming territory, for memorializing dead gang members in an informal ‘obituary,’ for boasting about acts (e.g., crimes) committed by gang members, and for challenging rival gangs as a prelude to violent confrontations. Graffiti was particularly prominent in major urban centres throughout the world, especially in the United States and Europe; common targets were subways, billboards, and walls. In the 1990s there emerged a new form of graffiti, known as ‘tagging,’ which entailed the repeated use of a single symbol or series of symbols to mark territory. In order to attract the most attention possible, this type of graffiti usually appeared in strategically or centrally located neighbourhoods.”
– britannica.com
A year after his striking air traffic controller father is fired by then-President Reagan, JJ Pankowski’s family’s dire financial situation requires his parents to give up ownership of their Long Island suburban house. They move back to Brooklyn, where JJ and his parents are now sharing housing with relatives. His big sister Alina, a private school scholarship student, stays behind and goes to live with her girlfriend’s family.
In his new, majority minority school, Pi catches JJ’s attention:
“...There’s this genius kid
Pierre Velez.
He calls himself Pi
not like the pie that you eat
but the mathematical symbol
that stands for 3.14 and
a whole lot of numbers that follow
that never end.
Pi’s arm shoots up with every question
skinniest brownest arm
like a raised banner
fingers scraping the sky.
None of that timid half-mast maybe.
Let’s give someone else a chance
to answer,’ teacher says
and, yes, these kids
know the answers.
I’m half a
step behind
the backbeat
to a song I've never heard before”
Star student by day, and tagger by night, Pie also comes to notice JJ.
“...there's a new kid in my class–
Whiteboy
nerdy
quiet
keeps to himself
not saying I’m Mr. Popular but
I ain’t in the market for any more friends
Manny and Oz are goofballs but they’re good enough for me
and I’m still working up the nerve to talk to Benita
I got too much to deal with at home
to take on a special project at school
but something ‘bout the way that Whiteboy
looked that day in the cafeteria made
me talk to him after class today”
Set during the early 1980s–the Reagan era–MOONWALKING is the coming-of-age story of these two boys, Pie and JJ.
Pie is in a tough home situation. In a single-parent household, he and his little sister are being cared for by his Puerto Rican immigrant mother who is mentally ill. She frequently becomes confused and is unable to hold down a job. The father Pie has never known was from Zaire. His sister Pilar has a different father, Tony who their mother dumped because he was abusive. He occasionally comes around.
Pie is hungry to grow his knowledge of art and grow his own art. He gets an opportunity to attend an extracurricular art program at a museum.
JJ is a struggling student. His art is his music. He’s learning to play guitar and is working on composing punk rock tunes. JJ’s out-of-work father immigrated from Poland with his parents when he was JJ’s age. He is another abusive male.
With problems at home and challenges at school, these two boys become friends. But things are not so simple, and there are interesting twists and plenty to ponder at the conclusion of this gritty-but-hopeful tale for tweens and teens.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
https://twitter.com/richiespicks
richiepartington@gmail.com
December 1, 2022
This novel in verse in morally and emotionally nuanced and richly set in 1980s Brooklyn. The verse itself is skillful and both of the character's voices ring true. Unusually for a middle grade novel, this story's ending remains a little ambiguous, which was a strength for me; it would have bee too easy to tie this one up pat to make the audience feel good, and this creates an obvious discomfort that works well. The only reason that I'm taking off a star here is because I felt the two protagonists were just a little formulaic for me. It seems so many MG novels right now use a formula of "1 personality trait + 1 cultural marker + 1 niche interest + 1 life hardship = main character," and this book was no exception. This led to the two leads feeling not quite like foils, but more like different ways of filling out the same worksheet, which ultimately flattened them for me.
June 19, 2022
A novel in verse set in 1980s Brooklyn? Yes please! This historical novel is told in alternating voice verse. JJ Pankowski is an autistic, punk-rock-music-lover, and Pie Velez is a Puerto Rican and Congolese history and math geek and graffiti artist. Readers are introduced to Jean-Michel Basquiat, airline strikes and how Ronald Reagan fired and blacklisted 11,359 air-traffic controllers, and Puerto Rican history. The friendship between JJ and Pie is complicated and outside racial tensions soon overshadow their relationship. Includes a great playlist at the end. Authors' notes are thorough and give background on various aspects of the novel, including autism, using today's terms.
July 7, 2022
This verse novel tells the story of two classmates who become unlikely friends in alternating poems of various styles written by two authors. It is set in the 1980s against the backdrop of the air traffic controllers strike, Poland’s Solidarity movement, and punk rock. Pie, an African/Puerto Rican-American is an aspiring artist who experiences discrimination and has to take care of his younger sister when his mother is unable. JJ and his family are forced to move into the basement flat of his Polish grandparents after his father loses his job. He too feels out of place as one of the only white students in his school.
August 3, 2023
Moonwalking by Zetta Elliott is a novel in verse set in 1980s Brooklyn and follows the lives of two boys - JJ and Pie as they navigate through realities of life , face several hardships and understand friendship.
There were some pretty strong themes throughout this book - especially the way it portrayed racism and injustice, I always find myself in quite a solemn mood after reading about such things and how rampant inequailty is even in recent times.
I felt like both JJ and Pie could have had a bit more of character development and the ending could have been more solid rather than this ambiguous one.
4 stars.
There were some pretty strong themes throughout this book - especially the way it portrayed racism and injustice, I always find myself in quite a solemn mood after reading about such things and how rampant inequailty is even in recent times.
I felt like both JJ and Pie could have had a bit more of character development and the ending could have been more solid rather than this ambiguous one.
4 stars.
February 1, 2024
Clever. Impressive writing and voice for both authors. It was interesting that these two middle grade boys were written by two women, yet voiced by men that did not sound young. It was a story about an interracial friendship in the early 1980s, written during the pandemic in the midst of a racial justice movement. I thought this book was clever and so relevant, interesting facts about history, labour movements, language, culture, and religion were interwoven. And who could forget the music and the origins of punk? Wow! I loved it.
August 23, 2025
Den var fin, och den var bitvis tung. Som i perspektivet att vara mörkhyad och rädd för att bli orättvist behandlad bara därför, och som i perspektivet att ha varit osynlig hela sitt liv och försöka lära sig att synas och höras när det betyder något… Och att konsten och musiken kan vara någons sanna passion.
June 20, 2022
"This novel in verse, alternately narrated by two boys in 1980s Greenpoint, Brooklyn, one channeled by Elliott and one by Miller-Lachmann, eloquently tackles race, culture and life on the spectrum." [The New York Times]
July 19, 2022
I really liked this, it was a sweet story of friendship and how relationships don't always end up how you expect, I also liked the theme of the impact of art, I also loved how these two boys who didn't quite fit in came together
Content: edited swears, Spanish swears
Content: edited swears, Spanish swears
September 27, 2025
Loved this book written in verse. Loved the dual voices. The only thing stopping it from being 5-stars is that it felt unresolved.
June 22, 2022
This book-in-verse can be appreciated by adults, but the style and references would not be enjoyed by any of my students. I was really disappointed that I purchased this for my library.
May 29, 2023
This is such a fantastic novel in verse. The way each author played with the pages and the characters was really something beautiful. I am actually using this book as a mentor text for my own writing-it's that good. Plus, the "historical fiction" (gah, it's hard to say that) is really awesome-it's a time full of music and discovery and I loved how it was portrayed.
October 10, 2022
There is a lot to like about Moonwalking (MacMillan, 2022) co-authored by Zetta Elliott and Lyn Miller-Lachmann. This middle-grade verse novel set in New York City in 1980, alternates between the POV of the two protagonists. Pie Velez is a math whiz and graffiti artist, and his most unlikely friend, JJ Pankowski, is a punk rock fan and one of the few white kids at their school.
When I read books that I plan to review I record some of my favorite passages. Here are a few that I noted.
From Pie's second poem, "Bomb."
.... I never knew mist
wrapped in metal could be
light as air and dark as night
or brighter than a neon sign
I shake the can and
the seed of a rainbow clatters
inside before blooming in my palm
and climbing across the wall
......
tags spread like wildfire
we write in code on concrete
words most folks can't read
signs that wow
warn
and won't be ignored
WE ARE HERE (p.8)
From one of JJ's poems entitled, "Three Chords." In this scene when the reader is just getting to know JJ, he's learning how to play his uncle's guitar.
Joe Strummer said
you don't need talent
you don't need skill
all you need is a loud voice
an electric guitar
three chords
and a story. (p. 15)
Clearly, both boys yearn to express themselves.
JJ finds refuge in a school that is so crowded no one notices him. This is an excerpt from the poem, "Invisible Me."
They're a team
I won't go out for.
A party for which I don't beg
an invitation.
A universe
I dare not disturb. (p. 25)
Pie struggles with his mother's mental illness, being bullied by neighborhood kids who call her loco, and his dreams of being an artist. JJ's father lost his job and they have to cram into his grandmother's apartment; he doesn't fit in at school and he misses his sister who moved out.
Slowly, the boys get to know one another and learn to appreciate each other's art. JJ gapes at "Pie murals on subway cars and buildings." Pie invites him to eat lunch in the quiet art room. JJ makes him a mixtape and the boys bond. But when JJ joins him to tag some buildings, the police show up and their encounter becomes a test of their friendship.
This poem excerpt is from"Tag--I'm It" From JJ's POV:
all I could think about was how through it all JJ said nothing
did nothing just kept his head down to keep himself safe
Andres was right no mixtape's gonna change the system
'cause when it comes to playing tag with cops
they only ever try to catch
someone like me. (p. 146)
The ending is not your typical "two-different-kids-become-friends" and live happily ever after. But, it satisfactorily concludes the book. I loved the imagery in the poems and the way each character was deeply shown and how the boys helped each other through difficult times.
The main thing that I didn't like was how JJ discovers that his sister is a lesbian and that is why she left home. I thought that was a peripheral subplot that didn't add to the boys' friendship story. Christian parents, grandparents, and teachers should be aware that this subject material is included in the novel.
I wrote an email to Lyn Miller-Lachman stating my concerns and she responded: "Thank you for your note and your thoughts. I’m glad you appreciated the poetry and the story of MOONWALKING....The reason for including that thread is to show JJ’s growing realization that the world is more complex than he had believed—one more for his list of 'things that make no sense.' However, this crisis also shows him that he has choices, and he chooses to maintain his relationship with his sister, just as later on he will do what he can to maintain his friendship with Pie in the face of Pie’s anger. If you do include a note to potential readers who are Christians, I could see this as a discussion prompt: What would you do if you found out someone close to you—a family member—was having a same-sex relationship? Would you cut all ties to that person, or would you maintain the connection?”
When I read books that I plan to review I record some of my favorite passages. Here are a few that I noted.
From Pie's second poem, "Bomb."
.... I never knew mist
wrapped in metal could be
light as air and dark as night
or brighter than a neon sign
I shake the can and
the seed of a rainbow clatters
inside before blooming in my palm
and climbing across the wall
......
tags spread like wildfire
we write in code on concrete
words most folks can't read
signs that wow
warn
and won't be ignored
WE ARE HERE (p.8)
From one of JJ's poems entitled, "Three Chords." In this scene when the reader is just getting to know JJ, he's learning how to play his uncle's guitar.
Joe Strummer said
you don't need talent
you don't need skill
all you need is a loud voice
an electric guitar
three chords
and a story. (p. 15)
Clearly, both boys yearn to express themselves.
JJ finds refuge in a school that is so crowded no one notices him. This is an excerpt from the poem, "Invisible Me."
They're a team
I won't go out for.
A party for which I don't beg
an invitation.
A universe
I dare not disturb. (p. 25)
Pie struggles with his mother's mental illness, being bullied by neighborhood kids who call her loco, and his dreams of being an artist. JJ's father lost his job and they have to cram into his grandmother's apartment; he doesn't fit in at school and he misses his sister who moved out.
Slowly, the boys get to know one another and learn to appreciate each other's art. JJ gapes at "Pie murals on subway cars and buildings." Pie invites him to eat lunch in the quiet art room. JJ makes him a mixtape and the boys bond. But when JJ joins him to tag some buildings, the police show up and their encounter becomes a test of their friendship.
This poem excerpt is from"Tag--I'm It" From JJ's POV:
all I could think about was how through it all JJ said nothing
did nothing just kept his head down to keep himself safe
Andres was right no mixtape's gonna change the system
'cause when it comes to playing tag with cops
they only ever try to catch
someone like me. (p. 146)
The ending is not your typical "two-different-kids-become-friends" and live happily ever after. But, it satisfactorily concludes the book. I loved the imagery in the poems and the way each character was deeply shown and how the boys helped each other through difficult times.
The main thing that I didn't like was how JJ discovers that his sister is a lesbian and that is why she left home. I thought that was a peripheral subplot that didn't add to the boys' friendship story. Christian parents, grandparents, and teachers should be aware that this subject material is included in the novel.
I wrote an email to Lyn Miller-Lachman stating my concerns and she responded: "Thank you for your note and your thoughts. I’m glad you appreciated the poetry and the story of MOONWALKING....The reason for including that thread is to show JJ’s growing realization that the world is more complex than he had believed—one more for his list of 'things that make no sense.' However, this crisis also shows him that he has choices, and he chooses to maintain his relationship with his sister, just as later on he will do what he can to maintain his friendship with Pie in the face of Pie’s anger. If you do include a note to potential readers who are Christians, I could see this as a discussion prompt: What would you do if you found out someone close to you—a family member—was having a same-sex relationship? Would you cut all ties to that person, or would you maintain the connection?”
October 16, 2022
Solidarity means
we all belong together
we all work together
we’re like union brothers
and sisters
but my family is broken
and scattered
in Poland and in America
and I’m here alone.
Loner or Leader
Time to choose. (109)
Two adolescents in early 1980’s. Some similarities; major differences.
When JJ Pankoski’s father goes on strike and is fired and blacklisted, they lose their home and car and move into the Polish grandparent’s house in Brooklyn where possibly JJ won’t be bullied as he was in his former school. A musician, JJ saves is his Casio keyboard, Walkman headphones, and punk-rock cassettes. But one other thing he loses is his sister Alina who remains in Lynbrook with a secret.
Pie, or Pierre Velez, lives with his Puerto Rican mother who suffers from mental illness, and his younger half-sister Pilar, yearns to have known his African father. He also is an artist, tagging buildings and recommended for a prestigious art class at the museum.
“what means
the most to me?
family always comes first
then
my culture
my friends
my girl
my ‘hood
my future
my dreams” (96)
JJ desperately needs a friend,
“maybe [Pi] can help me
because he likes to get answers right
and explain to kids
who
don’t
understand.
and maybe he’ll even
like me.” (84)
and, for a short while, Pie is that friend, the two boys connected by their love of the arts.
But Pie lives with discrimination.
“…this is the one night
when anything goes—you can be anyone on Halloween
pretend you got special powers knowing full well that
the next day you’ll go back to being an ordinary kid
who hungers for heroes that Hollywood won’t create” (104)
and when the class social studies project is assigned,
“Now we got this project—we have to write
about a leader who changed the world and I don’t wanna write about
some dead white guy…even though I know that’s the only way
to get an A.” (113)
But one night when they are tagging, Pie is arrested and JJ, as a white adolescent, is not only let go but driven home by the policeman (“Different Justice”). JJ is guilty for doing nothing.
Later, when he receives a much higher grade than Pie for a report on which Pie coached him, still was inferior to his friend’s
“because Pie’s report
on Patrice Lumumba
was way better
than mine.
Pie told me to dig deeper
But he
dug
deepest
of all.” (162-3)
JJ speaks out, but it is too little too late.
“true friends
don’t leave you
hanging
true friends
always have
your back.” (159)
Written in creatively-formatted free verse and co-authored by Zetta Elliott, who writes the voice of Pie, and Lyn Miller-Lachmann, who writes JJ’s narrative, Moonwalking is a work of history, prejudice and discrimination, poverty, mental illness, neuro-diversity, art, and friendship.
we all belong together
we all work together
we’re like union brothers
and sisters
but my family is broken
and scattered
in Poland and in America
and I’m here alone.
Loner or Leader
Time to choose. (109)
Two adolescents in early 1980’s. Some similarities; major differences.
When JJ Pankoski’s father goes on strike and is fired and blacklisted, they lose their home and car and move into the Polish grandparent’s house in Brooklyn where possibly JJ won’t be bullied as he was in his former school. A musician, JJ saves is his Casio keyboard, Walkman headphones, and punk-rock cassettes. But one other thing he loses is his sister Alina who remains in Lynbrook with a secret.
Pie, or Pierre Velez, lives with his Puerto Rican mother who suffers from mental illness, and his younger half-sister Pilar, yearns to have known his African father. He also is an artist, tagging buildings and recommended for a prestigious art class at the museum.
“what means
the most to me?
family always comes first
then
my culture
my friends
my girl
my ‘hood
my future
my dreams” (96)
JJ desperately needs a friend,
“maybe [Pi] can help me
because he likes to get answers right
and explain to kids
who
don’t
understand.
and maybe he’ll even
like me.” (84)
and, for a short while, Pie is that friend, the two boys connected by their love of the arts.
But Pie lives with discrimination.
“…this is the one night
when anything goes—you can be anyone on Halloween
pretend you got special powers knowing full well that
the next day you’ll go back to being an ordinary kid
who hungers for heroes that Hollywood won’t create” (104)
and when the class social studies project is assigned,
“Now we got this project—we have to write
about a leader who changed the world and I don’t wanna write about
some dead white guy…even though I know that’s the only way
to get an A.” (113)
But one night when they are tagging, Pie is arrested and JJ, as a white adolescent, is not only let go but driven home by the policeman (“Different Justice”). JJ is guilty for doing nothing.
Later, when he receives a much higher grade than Pie for a report on which Pie coached him, still was inferior to his friend’s
“because Pie’s report
on Patrice Lumumba
was way better
than mine.
Pie told me to dig deeper
But he
dug
deepest
of all.” (162-3)
JJ speaks out, but it is too little too late.
“true friends
don’t leave you
hanging
true friends
always have
your back.” (159)
Written in creatively-formatted free verse and co-authored by Zetta Elliott, who writes the voice of Pie, and Lyn Miller-Lachmann, who writes JJ’s narrative, Moonwalking is a work of history, prejudice and discrimination, poverty, mental illness, neuro-diversity, art, and friendship.
October 1, 2022
This would be a great book to hand to a reader in 6th to 8th grade who needs to do a book report and has very little time! It's short and packed with relevant and thought-provoking topics.
It is a novel in verse, told in two voices (written by two different authors); Pie (short for Pierre Velez, told by Elliott) and JJ (short for Joseph John Pankowski, told by Miller-Lachmann), which readers can easily differentiate because the pages for JJ have grey backgrounds. Pie's and JJ's voices feel different, too, in fact; Pie has plans, strategies, and familiarity with his school, neighborhood, and situation, while JJ is new to everything, often confused, and full of self-doubt.
Pie makes a generous move, based on his solid sense of self and solid attachment to the community - he invites JJ to a place of safety; lunch in the Art Room.
The slow development of the boy's friendship gives readers a chance to acclimate themselves to both of their home lives, which are both impoverished, both totally dysfunctional in different ways, and also both include people who provide real love and support.
Even though there are some heavy family issues, somehow it felt best suited for readers in grades 5th to 7th - these boys' combination of bravado and doubt, self-awareness but lack of how that fits in with the rest of the word seems on the younger side. Reading this, it brought to mind Harbor Me, Pride, and The Poet X - all of which are intended for older readers and have characters that feel older. They all explore the ideas of a neighborhood that includes diverse groups of people who both belong and feel vulnerable.
It is a novel in verse, told in two voices (written by two different authors); Pie (short for Pierre Velez, told by Elliott) and JJ (short for Joseph John Pankowski, told by Miller-Lachmann), which readers can easily differentiate because the pages for JJ have grey backgrounds. Pie's and JJ's voices feel different, too, in fact; Pie has plans, strategies, and familiarity with his school, neighborhood, and situation, while JJ is new to everything, often confused, and full of self-doubt.
Pie makes a generous move, based on his solid sense of self and solid attachment to the community - he invites JJ to a place of safety; lunch in the Art Room.
The slow development of the boy's friendship gives readers a chance to acclimate themselves to both of their home lives, which are both impoverished, both totally dysfunctional in different ways, and also both include people who provide real love and support.
Even though there are some heavy family issues, somehow it felt best suited for readers in grades 5th to 7th - these boys' combination of bravado and doubt, self-awareness but lack of how that fits in with the rest of the word seems on the younger side. Reading this, it brought to mind Harbor Me, Pride, and The Poet X - all of which are intended for older readers and have characters that feel older. They all explore the ideas of a neighborhood that includes diverse groups of people who both belong and feel vulnerable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 30, 2022
My favourite poem in this book is “Hey, Colonizer” (p167/168). This novel in verse is on the heavier side, especially compared to other middle grade fiction. There is racial inequality, abuse, mental health issues, mentions of drug addiction and street violence. I also think that these are things that middle grade kids can handle if done sensitively enough. I think this does that, but it doesn’t mix in quite enough levity to balance things out.
Being set in the 80s was fun, but I honestly forgot for a while until it mentioned Reagan again. I don’t think it was necessary.
One character (the musician) was autistic and (similarly to the 80s aspect) it would mention an intense sensory integration difficulty for one poem, then completely ignore that aspect of the character for like 75 pages. I definitely wanted more out of this. I wanted to know how he was coping with other things and how it impacted his side of story (maybe his choices?). It just felt like it was randomly thrown in to be honest. That was a bummer, since that is what drew me to the story (my child and I are both autistic and read this together).
The best part, in my opinion, was Jean-Michel Basquiat’s influence on the other main character (the artist). This felt like a really beautiful connection to art, the kind that makes you expand inside and shine outside. This also felt like it tied in pretty well with the racial inequality within the friendship that forms between the two main characters.
There are two points that I really think ought to have been changed by the editors though:
1) Curse words in English are starred out like s***, but they are left whole in Spanish. Pick one. Especially since many people won’t know what this says. It is repeated a lot too.
2) Since there are two different points of view, it should actually say which person’s point of view it is somewhere. They are different fonts and very slightly different tint paper, but that is not apparent at the beginning. It took me probably 30+ pages to figure it out.
Ultimately it is a good book for thinking about racial inequality and the way art can work in our lives, but it’s focus stays on the heavy.
Being set in the 80s was fun, but I honestly forgot for a while until it mentioned Reagan again. I don’t think it was necessary.
One character (the musician) was autistic and (similarly to the 80s aspect) it would mention an intense sensory integration difficulty for one poem, then completely ignore that aspect of the character for like 75 pages. I definitely wanted more out of this. I wanted to know how he was coping with other things and how it impacted his side of story (maybe his choices?). It just felt like it was randomly thrown in to be honest. That was a bummer, since that is what drew me to the story (my child and I are both autistic and read this together).
The best part, in my opinion, was Jean-Michel Basquiat’s influence on the other main character (the artist). This felt like a really beautiful connection to art, the kind that makes you expand inside and shine outside. This also felt like it tied in pretty well with the racial inequality within the friendship that forms between the two main characters.
There are two points that I really think ought to have been changed by the editors though:
1) Curse words in English are starred out like s***, but they are left whole in Spanish. Pick one. Especially since many people won’t know what this says. It is repeated a lot too.
2) Since there are two different points of view, it should actually say which person’s point of view it is somewhere. They are different fonts and very slightly different tint paper, but that is not apparent at the beginning. It took me probably 30+ pages to figure it out.
Ultimately it is a good book for thinking about racial inequality and the way art can work in our lives, but it’s focus stays on the heavy.
March 10, 2024
Set in Brooklyn in the early 1980s, this novel in verse features two likeable characters in JJ Pankowski, who loves punk, especially the Clash, and Pierre (Pie) Velez, a budding artist and tagger who wants to follow in the footsteps of Jean-Michel Basquiat. JJ has just moved back to Brooklyn to stay with his grandmother after his father, who immigrated from Poland, lost his job at JFK Airport. He tries to fly beneath the radar since school isn't his thing; in fact, he's so silent that his teachers report him as being absent. Pie, whose mother is from Puerto Rico, is smart, ambitious, and keenly aware of the different ways whites and those with black or brown skin are treated. He sees injustice all around him, at school, in the streets, and in his own country. Both middle-graders regard music and art respectively as ways to escape their harsh realities and express themselves. In JJ's case, his family is struggling economically, and his father is a racist. In Pie's case, his beloved mother is mentally ill, vacillating from periods of lucidity and times when she becomes quite confused and wanders the street. For some reason, Pie befriends JJ, who is being bullied in the cafeteria, and the two of them teach each other about their passions--art and music. An incident with police officers causes a rift between the boys since Pie is treated quite differently than JJ is, causing Pie to question their friendship since JJ doesn't speak up for him. Although the ending is a bit rushed and there weren't many examples of JJ's pervasive developmental disorder that would put him on the autism spectrum today, this book offers a great starting point for conversations about racism, class differences, and self-expression. Some readers will be disappointed that it doesn't have a particularly happy ending, but the authors' choice about how to conclude the story seems realistic to me. I loved the cultural references, including a nod to Robert Cormier's classic The Chocolate War, which JJ has read and considers as he contemplates whether and how he might dare to disturb the universe, along with others who are like-minded.
January 11, 2023
I absolutely loved this audiobook! Two seventh grade boys create an unlikely friendship in early 1980s Brooklyn. J.J. is autistic and idolizes Joe Strummer and Lech Walesa. Pie is obsessed with graffiti and the art of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Both are the sons of immigrants and both deal with difficult family situations and poverty.
The narrative pulls no punches and deals with all kinds of heavy issues: racism and inequity, mental illness, broken homes, and bullying. The impact of both US imperialism and Soviet communism have direct effects on both protagonists and the obstacles they face. Punk rock and hip hop are ever-present in their lives as well, and offer both boys blueprints for not only imagining social reform but also building paths to personal integrity and expression. The presence of caring adult mentors in the characters' lives is also portrayed well and welcome in a book about troubled family life.
I absolutely loved the rich, layered complexity of this novel in verse. This is what great middle-grade fiction looks like.
The narrative pulls no punches and deals with all kinds of heavy issues: racism and inequity, mental illness, broken homes, and bullying. The impact of both US imperialism and Soviet communism have direct effects on both protagonists and the obstacles they face. Punk rock and hip hop are ever-present in their lives as well, and offer both boys blueprints for not only imagining social reform but also building paths to personal integrity and expression. The presence of caring adult mentors in the characters' lives is also portrayed well and welcome in a book about troubled family life.
I absolutely loved the rich, layered complexity of this novel in verse. This is what great middle-grade fiction looks like.
May 10, 2022
This book in verse is told from the alternating points of view of two middle school boys in 1982 - one, a Black Puerto Rican boy named Pi (short for Pierre) who battles difficulties living with a mother with mental illness and memories of a lost friend shot by police through "throwing bombs" and "tagging" walls with a spray can marking his neighborhood with splendid graffiti, following in the footsteps of his favorite artist, Jean-Michel Basquiat. The other boy is JJ, a Polish American boy whose father lost his government job as an air traffic controller after striking for better pay and shorter hours, when Ronald Reagan squashed the efforts of many union workers who had voted for him in 1980. The author's note in the back tells us that today JJ would be diagnosed with autism, and we see evidence in this as JJ battles social difficulties, learning disabilities, and lacks the support he needs back then. Pi and JJ form a tremulous friendship and the lack of understanding between the two because of race and culture is eye-opening. As with most kids, however, these two are willing to try and attempt to see each other for who they really are, not who the world tells them they are.
May 18, 2022
I love a good novel in verse, and Moon Walking is an excellent one. The narrative switches between Pierre, known as Pie, and JJ. Pie has lived in Brooklyn all his life, loves art, has a mother with mental health issues, and is black and Puerto Rican. JJ has only just moved to Brooklyn, listens to punk music, is experiencing public school for the first time, and is white (Polish).
Set in the early 1980s, the book doesn't shy away from the overt racism and lack of understanding about mental health or neurodivergence that were prevalent at the time. Both boys struggle in a world that refuses to accept them for who they are, and while the book doesn't end with all (or any) of their problems solved, the reader is left knowing that they are well on their way to understanding and accepting themselves.
Set in the early 1980s, the book doesn't shy away from the overt racism and lack of understanding about mental health or neurodivergence that were prevalent at the time. Both boys struggle in a world that refuses to accept them for who they are, and while the book doesn't end with all (or any) of their problems solved, the reader is left knowing that they are well on their way to understanding and accepting themselves.
February 6, 2023
An interesting story about friendship in 1980s America. The characters are both likable and relatable, and the (SPOILER) not so happy ending, is a nice change of pace. The supporting cast could have been explored a bit more, but what is needed to promote the two narrators does work. The format reads as a novel, mostly tradition looking poetry, but also has a little kick. Perhaps a bit more background on the main characters would have been nice, to understand fully Pie's situation particular, but due to current events, we do know some of it. At least ages 10 and up due to content and though it is "starred out" language. History of two people not as well known (a Polish activist for the unions and a artist of color) included within the story is clever addition to show the struggles our narrators are dealing with.
October 31, 2024
This book was so good! It had so many complexities worked into such a short and easy read. I loved how they chose different fonts and page colors to visually indicate which character's POV each poem was from, and the poems themselves were in a wide variety of formats that kept things interesting.
(My only complaint is about the timing - the only way we know it's 1982 is from the dates on their homework assignments, but it references the death of Michael Stewart which actually occurred in September of 1983. Granted, almost no one reading this would notice that discrepancy but I googled his name to find out more when I got to the part, and the author acknowledges the misaligned dates in the afterword without explaining why she chose to make it 1982 when she could have just as easily made it right with a 1984 date?)
(My only complaint is about the timing - the only way we know it's 1982 is from the dates on their homework assignments, but it references the death of Michael Stewart which actually occurred in September of 1983. Granted, almost no one reading this would notice that discrepancy but I googled his name to find out more when I got to the part, and the author acknowledges the misaligned dates in the afterword without explaining why she chose to make it 1982 when she could have just as easily made it right with a 1984 date?)
June 17, 2022
Beautifully written middle grade book told in verse about two boys, JJ, a Polish kid who loves punk music, and Pie, an artistic kid who goes out at night to spray paint graffiti. The book is told from the two perspectives of the main characters, with the voice of each character written by a different author. The book touches on some very difficult subjects, particularly Pie’s mother’s mental illness. JJ is the new kid in school, having just transferred, and continually struggles to make friends, as he did at his other school. The racial aspect is clear as Pie receives lower grades for superior work and has a run in with not only his teacher, but the police. I liked the fact that the book did not have a “happily ever after” ending which made it more realistic.
June 4, 2022
This was not what I expected. Do not let the cover fool you. This book is thought provoking, full of deep emotions and the truth leaks out of every verse and phrase. It caught me off guard and because of that it has the potential to lure in some who may not normally read it. And everyone needs to read it. The author’s notes at the end are vital. The notes about autism and Asperger’s were confusing to me because I never read any character as displaying symptoms of either of those things. I loved both MC exactly as they were portrayed and didn’t find myself “excusing” anything they did or said as needing a label.
March 9, 2023
The novel in verse book with Zetta Elliot writing for the character Pierre (Pi) and Lynn Lachmann-Miller writing for JJ. Pi is a graffiti artist and JJ loves the Clash as each character struggles to find his voice while dealing with their own family issues. Pi has an abusive step-father and his mother has a mental illness, and JJ's father is unemployed and keeps selling family belongings to help the family survive. Pi and JJ bond around their various art forms during the early 1980s in Brooklyn, New York as they each try to find their voice in there stressful and chaotic families. Recommend for 10-14 year olds who like realistic fiction.
March 19, 2023
This is a really unique novel in verse. It covered a historical topic I haven’t seen in middle grade fiction before, which was really refreshing. The authors were able to tie in so many dense topics in a short novel: unions, Reagan economics, 80’s punk music, police brutality, and immigration. The poems were great, and I loved both authors’ unique styles, but I do wish the book tied together better. It felt choppy at parts, jumping between different topics and points of view without adequate transitions. I wish there was more writing to really flesh out the fascinating characters and storylines here!
September 25, 2023
I read this book for the Charlie May Simon Award Committee. This book reminded me ALOT of Jason Reynolds and his style of writing. The book is set in the 1980's, written in verse, and told from the different perspectives of each male main character. This book contains: mental illness, racism, family issues, and so much more. Based on the content (and starred out language--that we all can figure out), I would say that it is for grades 7+, but it is recommended for grades 4-6. This one is an overall good read, but perhaps a little much for Charlie May--it floats that weird line between middle grade/YA.
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