YUMMY: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty by G. Neri

Awards and Mentions:
**starred review** Kirkus
**starred review** Booklist
**starred review** Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
2011 Coretta Scott King Author Honor
2011 ALA Notable Book

If you've got a book discussion group let me suggest you consider Yummy. It's a graphic novel based on the short life of an 11-year old gang member. Robert Sandifer, aka Yummy, was a boy looking for a place in life. Somewhere to be accepted. Somewhere to find care. Unfortunately this ended up being a gang, and in the process of doing 'shorty jobs' (those are jobs given to underaged children who can't be given a life sentence) this little boy accidentally killed a friend -- an innocent 14-year-old girl named Shavon Dean who was only sitting on a stoop.

**Possible SPOILER** The story ends with Yummy's death. You might think it was the long arm of the law that caught up with Yummy, but that's not the case. He was just too much trouble for the gang, and so this shorty didn't make it to puberty.

Yummy is based on a Chicago tragedy. And G. Neri, the author, does a terrific job of getting past any veneer that would suggest there are easy answers the issues that plague Yummy's community.

A quick, excellent read.

Violence: not graphic
Language: none
Sex and drugs : brief references to prostitution and the drug business


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Review: STAR WARS Dawn of the Jedi series - FORCE STORM
Review: YUMMY: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty
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YUMMY: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty
Written by G. Neri
Illustrated by Randy DuBurke

Reading Information:
Word Count: 5,086
Word Count: 96
Accelerated Reading level: 3.4 / points: 1.0
AR quiz: 139540
--sample pages available