The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze
by Derrick Barnes
Middle School    Viking    272 pp.
9/25    9781984836755    $17.99

Thirteen-year-old Henson Blayze is about to start eighth grade and, as his friend Menkah tells him, “The whole town, the whole state of Mississippi has been waiting on you.” He’ll be playing football with the high school team; his mostly white town of Great Mountain has never before had a Black athlete to pin their hopes on, but now they have “a ‘Negro’ of their own.” And it is a charmed first day—adoring students, special food, an exclusive area in the lunchroom, even an ode written to him by last year’s class president. But the head of the cafeteria, Mrs. Pendegrass, a Black woman, warns him: “Watch yourself, Henson. Ya hear? When they start acting like this—and I done seen it before—it never ends well. Just protect yourself, baby.” Barnes creates something bigger than a traditional sports novel with an effective combination of well-realized characters, a contemporary setting rooted in history, and mythic elements that lend a transcendent feel. Especially well drawn is Henson’s internal conflict: he loves football but doesn’t want to feel “owned” by white fans; he loves his father and the heritage of the Blayze land, but being the one to carry on the family legacy feels claustrophobic when you want to find own your place in the world. By book’s end, readers will feel that Henson will figure it out. A memorable story (with a powerful opening author’s note) that takes a strong stand for true history.

From the November/December 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.