Slay!

By Brittney Morris

SLAY! There are so many great things to say about this debut young adult book by Brittney Morris. Let me start by saying we will be purchasing anything written by this author in the future for our library.

In this book we meet the main character Kiera Johnson, honor student and math tutor by day, and Queen Emerald by night. She is one of the brilliant minds behind the hit game SLAY which is only available to black gamers and the only way in is by being invited by another player. She creates a space for people of color and teaches them about their culture and embraces it in a safe, fun way. However, the media discovers SLAY’s existence when a teen is killed over a dispute of coins in the game. Now people are threatening to sue for discrimination and want the developer to come forward and take responsibility. Can Kiera protect her game and keep her identity hidden at the same time?

If you want to put yourself in the shoes of one of the few black kids in an all white school, this is the book to read. You will also get a good look at the different ways people deal with their blackness in today’s society. This book has several strong female characters and shows us the desire of belonging yet being able to celebrate our differences.