Isaiah Dunn Saves the Day

Starting middle school is no joke! Friendship, community, and a love of words blend in this sequel to the award-winning Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero.

Things are looking up for super kid Isaiah Dunn. He and his little sister, Charlie, are getting used to staying with Miz Rita, and Mama′s feeling better. Isaiah′s poetry business with Angel is taking off, and his best friend, Sneaky, always has a new hustle. Plus, Isaiah has his dad′s journals for a story or if he needs advice. . . .

Like maybe now, because starting middle school is hard. Especially when his mentee, Kobe, won′t stop making trouble. Isaiah knows something is up, but to get to the bottom of Kobe′s secret, he′ll have to rely on every hero he knows—including himself!

Kelly J. Baptist is the inaugural winner of the We Need Diverse Books short-story contest. Her story is featured in the WNDB anthology Flying Lessons & Other Stories and inspired her first full-length novel, Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero. Kelly is also the author of the picture book The Electric Slide and Kai and The Swag Is in the Socks, which was inspired by her love of unique socks, as well as her older sister’s hero work as a speech-language pathologist. When she’s not writing, Kelly is usually thinking about writing . . . and dreaming of palm trees while living in southwest Michigan. She keeps beyond busy with her five amazing children, who always give her plenty of story ideas and background noise to write to. Find Kelly at kellyiswrite.com.