GLORY BE

A young girl searches New Orleans for her beloved dog, Roux.

Glory, a strong-willed 9-year-old, has a quick temper like her dad, whom she adores, despite her suspicion that he may have something to do with Roux’s disappearance. After a falling-out with her BFF, Marcelle, she ditches school to seek help from Seven, an unhoused man whom she and her mother have delivered food to in the past. Though Glory’s mother grounds her for skipping school, she takes precious time off work to help make “missing” posters, and Marcelle stops by to help search. Things are looking up until Glory’s daddy shows up, drunk, angry, and unpredictable. Sumner’s rhythmic verse suits Glory’s feisty voice and outsize personality. The novel has a strong sense of setting, with NOLA streets and neighborhoods coming alive, from Napoleon Avenue, where Glory and her father first met Roux, to Bywater, “home to all the best graffiti.” Sumner sensitively considers the harsh realities of loving someone who can turn violent, but tender bonds of friendship and gentle humor alleviate the darkness as Glory comes to accept some difficult truths (“Understandin’ / doesn’t stop the hurt”). Glory’s wide neighborhood is diverse; in Monnin’s delightful drawings, Glory and her parents appear light-skinned while Marcelle and Seven are darker-skinned.

Seeded with love and hope, a tale that nevertheless addresses turmoil and pain.