Dear Justyce

Dear Justyce is a sequel to Dear Martin, but it reads more like a companion novel. It follows the life of Quan from childhood to present day where he is awaiting trial for murdering a police officer. This time, the book flips back and forth from letters to Justyce and chronological story telling. At times, the book gets hard to read because the author uses big spaces to illustrate when Quan is feeling overwhelmed or having a panic attack, but it is a quick read.

Quan's story is one not often told in fiction. I love how this book centered around his thoughts of really, when did things change for him. Was it a moment? Or was it inevitable? The story is empowering, albeit it is obviously not we know these tragedies tend to go. But, I think Stone gives us an example of a different kind of story that we should be able to tell and should be our goal. If all children in juvenile detention centers had such a dedicate support group, maybe their stories would end more like Quan's. It's a good read, especially for fans of Jason Reynolds and all who appreciate YA Fiction with lots of character development.