A review by aliciasokol
What the Fireflies Knew by Kai Harris

5.0

What made this a 5 ⭐️ book for me: the protagonist, 10-year old Kenyatta (KB). I just fell in love with her in a way I rarely do with a character. This little Black girl has weathered a lot in her short life - the book opens with her finding her daddy dead from a drug overdose. She’s sent with her big sister to live with their granddaddy in another town for the summer while her mother takes some time away. KB’s story is told with such curiosity, innocence and heart. She wants to understand all the adult secrets, though the adults in her life try to protect her with hushed tones. I just wanted to take her in my arms and hold her tight. The story takes a hard look at parent-child relationships (complicated, fraught, full of unintended mistakes and consequences), sibling relationships (also tumultuous) and how we choose to move in the world when we’ve been hurt by others. I’ll admit I saw a bit of myself as a girl in KB, mostly in her love of books and her desire to understand the world around her. I in no way endured the kind of trauma in my own childhood that this character endures. I didn’t have a granddaddy of my own, but I saw flashes of my own father in granddaddy’s loving demeanor with her. Just beautiful.