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Clayton Byrd Goes Underground

Rita Williams-Garcia

3.81 · Rating details · 2,086 ratings · 415 reviews

A National Book Award Longlist title that has earned 5 starred reviews!

"This slim novel strikes a strong chord."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"This complex tale of family and forgiveness has heart.” —School Library Journal (starred review)

"Strong characterizations and vivid musical scenes add layers to this warm family story.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“An appea ...more

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ebook, 176 pages

Published May 9th 2017 by Quill Tree Books

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2017 YA/MG Books With POC Leads

256 books — 378 voters

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2017 National Book Awards Longlist

40 books — 57 voters

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· 2,086 ratings · 415 reviews

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Aug 16, 2017 Hannah Greendale rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: middle-grade, contemporary, fiction

Click here to watch a video review of this book on my channel, From Beginning to Bookend.

Clayton Byrd delights in playing music with his grandfather, Cool Papa Byrd, and his band of Bluesmen. Though he’s occasionally permitted to join in on his blues harp, Clayton longs for his own twelve-bar solo and to be a “true bluesman among bluesmen.” When tragedy strikes Clayton’s family, his ability to play music is threatened. Burdened by grief and determined to keep the blues in his life, Clayton sets off on a journey to be reunited with music and his band of Bluesmen.

Music is the heart and soul of this story. Williams-Garcia’s cadent descriptions of musicians, instruments, and the harmonies they create are as rhythmic as the blues themselves. Whether it’s the “slow-burning funk” accompanying Cool Papa Byrd as he sings in a voice “deep and high, raspy and smooth” or the wail of a guitar “perfect for the soft midnight jams” whose “strings [produce] the purest sound with a sweet echo on the end,” the beat of Clayton Byrd’s story will make readers want to boogie.

But what are the blues without heartache? Cool Papa Byrd says “a bluesman ain’t a bluesman without that deep-down cry.” When death touches Clatyon’s family, old hurts that have haunted his family for years surface, and music – particularly the blues – is blamed as the cause of that pain.

Clayton suddenly finds that his connection to music, to the blues, and to his grandfather is fading. Worried the connection will be severed forever, he finds the courage to set off on his own. His journey is fraught with challenges that force him to examine his identity as a musician.

Williams-Garcia makes readers privy to the emotional struggles of both Clayton and his family, such that messages on forgiveness and the importance of being empathetic to the perspective of others find their way into the narrative. However, the crucial scene in which Clayton must confront his family to ask for – and offer – forgiveness is absent from the book. Without that emotionally pivotal scene, the conclusion of Clayton’s story feels clipped and rushed.

Clayton Byrd Goes Underground is a melodic exploration of a boy navigating grief, loss, and family drama. ...more

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Mar 19, 2018 jo rated it it was amazing

Shelves: african-american, audio, kids

dang i liked this book so much. the audio is really superb.

is this what kids read nowadays? cuz this is chock full with super duper themes dealt with delicacy but also, you know, head-on.

foremost, grief. also, when a bad-ass parent becomes a good grandparent: where do the middle-generation loyalties lie?

also, kids and art and the much underacknowledged place of black music in america and the world.

also, fuck this country's police culture. ...more

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Jun 15, 2017 Laura Harrison rated it liked it · review of another edition

This book breaks my heart. There was so much potential. I loved every moment of this title until Clayton's grandfather dies. Clayton gets in trouble for his incredibly poor behavior in school (he falls asleep during required class reading of a book his grandfather used to read to him at night and gazes at a lizard-clearly a life of crime is ahead of him). The mom- and I use the term loosely has obviously been jealous of the love the grandpa and Clayton shared his whole life. If she resented her ...more

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Mar 31, 2017 Brandy Painter rated it liked it

Shelves: 4-6-realistic, middle-grade, contemporary-fiction

Clayton is an excellent main character. He is grieving the death of his grandfather and trying to navigate all those emotions while his mom is dealing with it in exactly the opposite way he needs. The inter-generational struggles here and how we carry the baggage of disappointing relationships into new ones is explored in a way that the target audience can take in. I think this could have been a truly extraordinary book, but (and I can't believe I'm saying this) it was too short. The last quarte ...more

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Jul 28, 2017 Destinee Sutton rated it liked it

Shelves: middle-grade, audio, families, music, death

Beautifully written, but not very satisfying. I'm torn.

I did feel very strongly about one thing. Clayton's mother was *so* frustrating. You can tell she's trying to be a perfect mother, but to me it seemed like she did everything wrong. She didn't respect Clayton's relationship with Cool Papa. It was like she was trying to make Clayton's grieving process more difficult. And then she treated Clayton's falling-asleep-in-school problem like a flaw in Clayton's character. The woman drove me crazy. ...more

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May 20, 2017 Mary Ann rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 4th, parents-press-2017, 5th, audio, african-american, 6th, families, music, grandparents

Young African-American Clayton Byrd yearns “to be a true bluesman among bluesmen,” playing blues harp alongside his grandfather Cool Papa Byrd and his band. When Cool Papa dies suddenly in his sleep, Clayton grieves deeply, his loss amplified by his mother’s anger toward her father’s blues playing days away from the family. Adam Lazarre-Whites narration resonates deeply, bringing depth and emotion to this touching story.

Right from the first page, Rita Williams-Garcia weaves the power of blues th ...more

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Jun 28, 2017 Jordan Henrichs rated it it was ok

Reminds me a bit of Jason Reynolds' GHOST, but not near as authentic in voice as that title was. And like that title, I didn't really get much out of this one. I did not care for the first half of this novel. Cool Papa passes away just after we're introduced to him and the plot of the first half merely consists of Clayton struggling to stay awake in school. While Clayton running away from home in the second act and getting caught up in the wrong crowd sounds exciting, it really wasn't. I found m ...more

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Aug 04, 2017 Michele Knott rated it really liked it

Shelves: middle-grade, realistic-fiction, read-in-2017, family

This book puts your heart through the wringer!

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Nov 03, 2020 Book Concierge rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, middle-school, music, coming-of-age, family, library, new-york, children-s-literature, concierge, grief

Digital audiobook performed by Adam Lazarre-White.
4.5****

From the book jacket: When, Cool Papa, when? That’s what Clayton Byrd is always asking his grandfather, Cool Papa Byrd. When does he get a solo to show off his talent on the blues harp? Clayton feels most alive when he’s with Cool Papa Byrd and the Bluesmen, playing the music he feels in his bones. But then the unexpected happens. Cool Papa Byrd dies. Clayton’s mother forbids him from playing the blues. For Clayton, that’s no way to live. Digital audiobook performed by Adam Lazarre-White.
4.5****

From the book jacket: When, Cool Papa, when? That’s what Clayton Byrd is always asking his grandfather, Cool Papa Byrd. When does he get a solo to show off his talent on the blues harp? Clayton feels most alive when he’s with Cool Papa Byrd and the Bluesmen, playing the music he feels in his bones. But then the unexpected happens. Cool Papa Byrd dies. Clayton’s mother forbids him from playing the blues. For Clayton, that’s no way to live. Armed with his grandfather’s porkpie hat and his blues harp, he runs away from home and to the New York City subways in search of the Bluesmen, hoping he can join them on the road.

My reactions:
This was wonderful on so many levels. First on a purely superficial level, I loved the lesson in blues history that Williams-Garcia has given to young readers, introducing them to historic figures in the development of this uniquely American music.

Secondly, I loved the relationship between Clayton and his grandfather. The respect and love between them was palpable, even after Cool Papa has died, you can feel the deep connection they had and Clayton remembers some of the lessons his grandfather imparted, which help him when he’s “underground.”

Third, I really liked that Williams-Garcia did NOT paint a rosy picture of Clayton’s “adventure” as he ran away. He was in real danger and he suffered some consequences of his inexperience, rashness and youth. On the other hand, he also showed himself to be an astute observer, a clever negotiator, and he had the kind of determination and grit that will see him through on his life’s journey.

And I loved the way in which this wrapped up. The apologies and understandings that Clayton, his mother and his father came to, by really talking about what was important and putting aside some of their own hurt to help one another through this terrible grief.

Adam Lazarre-White does a marvelous job of performing the audiobook. I love his deep bass voice for Cool Papa and Clayton’s dad. I would have liked a little blues music underscore, but that’s not enough to deter me from listening again, or re-reading the text.
...more

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Mar 10, 2017 Ms. Yingling rated it liked it · review of another edition

ARC from Publisher at ALA

Clayton loves to hang out with his grandfather, Cool Papa, and play the blues at Washington Square Park with his grandfather's band. Clayton desperately wants to have a solo, but Cool Papa tells him he's not quite ready. The two do this whenever Clayton's mother has a long nursing shift, since she is not thrilled with Clayton taking part in these activities. Since Cool Papa frequenly was on the road when she was growing up, Clayton's mother is very bitter about the music ARC from Publisher at ALA

Clayton loves to hang out with his grandfather, Cool Papa, and play the blues at Washington Square Park with his grandfather's band. Clayton desperately wants to have a solo, but Cool Papa tells him he's not quite ready. The two do this whenever Clayton's mother has a long nursing shift, since she is not thrilled with Clayton taking part in these activities. Since Cool Papa frequenly was on the road when she was growing up, Clayton's mother is very bitter about the music. When Cool Papa passes away unexpectedly, she acts on this bitterness by selling or giving away every last possession of his, although Clayton manages to keep a blues harp and a hat his grandfather favored. Since he was so close to his grandfather, Clayton takes his death very hard, even though his father visits more and tries to distract him. Eventually, he becomes so angry at his mother that he runs away from home and falls in with a street gang that performs on the subway. The boys in the gang are not nice to him, and do a lot of vaguely criminal things, so hanging around with them eventually land him in jail. When his mother has to pick him up there, she is sure that it is the result of his grandfather's influence, but his father points out that he needs more help to get over the death of his grandfather.
Strengths: Cool Papa is right up there with my favorite fictional grandfathers. Not only do the two make music together, but Cool Papa makes fish sticks and spaghetti, reads to Clayton at night, and is generally a loving and supportive presence in his life. I also liked that his father plays a prominent role even though he doesn't live with Clayton. This is a great length for middle grade, and moves very quickly.
Weaknesses: This is not only very sad, but the way that Clayton's mother deals with the death is very dysfunctional, and Clayton makes dangerous choices.
What I really think: I'm debating this one. I'm a bit worried that the 1980s style cover is going to make this one a hard book to encourage children to pick up. I love Williams-Garcia's work, but the sadness and bad choices in this one were a bit much. ...more

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Jun 15, 2017 Samantha rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: grief, african-american, juv-fiction, music, grandfather

Clayton and his grandfather share a close bond and a love of the blues. When Clayton's grandfather passes away suddenly, he is lost in his grief. His mother isn't processing her grief in a similar fashion, she is selling his grandfather's prized possessions, which feels like she's trying to erase his existence to Clayton who is having a difficult time expressing the depths of his loss to his mother. This puts the two at odds and Clayton's behavior is treated as acting out which is punished by ta Clayton and his grandfather share a close bond and a love of the blues. When Clayton's grandfather passes away suddenly, he is lost in his grief. His mother isn't processing her grief in a similar fashion, she is selling his grandfather's prized possessions, which feels like she's trying to erase his existence to Clayton who is having a difficult time expressing the depths of his loss to his mother. This puts the two at odds and Clayton's behavior is treated as acting out which is punished by taking away beloved possessions and privileges.

Fed up and frustrated with issues at school, Clayton decides to pack up his things and seek out a life on the road playing blues with his grandfather's band mates. Along the way, he runs into a group of young people making their living by performing hip-hop on the streets and in the subway. Clayton learns quickly that he's not nearly as tough or smart as he thought he was and before long he's in pretty big trouble.with the law. When at last, Clayton faces all of his issues at home and school head on, he finds that his support system is stronger than he expected and with his father's help and a solid plan he begins to put his life back together even while grieving the loss of his grandfather.

Back matter includes some insight on how blues music is related to hip-hop music and the author's inspiration in writing this story.

The celebration of music is at the heart of this book. The language with which the author describes why music, specifically blues music, is so important to Clayton is beautiful and nearly poetic. The writing is lushly detailed and really helps the reader get into the mindset of a musician; helps them grasp what music does to their minds, bodies, and souls.

The conflicts are layered and realistic and help the reader to invest in the story as well as keeps the pages turning. I really appreciated how grief was explored and processed through different relationships. This added to the authenticity of the story. The ending was a bit rushed for my liking, but I'd still recommend this for grades 5-8. ...more

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Feb 01, 2017 Jessica rated it it was amazing

Shelves: owned, review-copy, sol-17, advance-review-copy-digital

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 12, 2017 Molly Dettmann rated it liked it

Clayton Bryd's Cool Papa Byrd, his grandfather who loves the Blues as much as he loves Clayton, passes away unexpectedly leaving Clayton heartbroken and his mother angrily selling all his possessions. While dealing with his grief, Clayton tries to bury himself in his music, while his mother forbids it. While both are grieving in their own way, it takes a secret trip "underground" for them to start to understand each other and heal together.

Ugh! This book had so much promise and while I think it ...more

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Jun 06, 2017 Kristin rated it liked it

Shelves: read-in-2017, death, family, boys, music

Could have been just a little longer to really better examine the issues discussed.

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Jan 20, 2018 Nadia L. Hohn rated it it was amazing

I read "Clayton Byrd Goes Underground" on my Kindle while on my treadmill mostly and the last couple pages in my bed, under the covers (the best place to read). Rita Williams-Garcia books are so catchy. I have read almost all of them. I truly felt the music in "Clayton Byrd Goes Underground"--
the blues, the tunes from Clayton's blues harp (his harmonica), and Cool Papa's guitar Wah-Wah-nita. This book took me on an emotional journey. It felt like one continuous thread as the reader follows one d ...more

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May 24, 2018 Edshara rated it really liked it

This was really good. A short book will move you and is full of meaning. Clayton’s relationship with his grandfather was sweet and felt familiar. It was interesting to see how Clayton processed his anger and grief. While it was frustrating that the adults didn’t try to look deeper, initially, it was good to see Clayton try to express himself verbally. While he didn’t always make the best choices, it was nice that we got to see Clayton react to what was going on. That made him feel real and relat ...more

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Sep 04, 2017 Patrick rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017-middle-grade-novels

Clayton loves his grandfather and music. They share the love of blues. There is nothing more that Clayton wants than to be a musician with his grandpa's band. At what lengths will he go to achieve this goal? ...more

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Jun 22, 2017 Angela Blount rated it really liked it

Shelves: middle-grade

Originally reviewed for YA Books Central: http://www.yabookscentral.com/yaficti...

A stirring, tuneful tale of familial ties—those that bind and those that constrain.

This contemporary Middle Grade book is told almost entirely from the third-person past-tense perspective of Clayton Byrd, a young boy who lives in New York City with his willfully single mother and his beloved “Cool Papa.” (Clayton’s father, Mr. Miller, is as present in Clayton’s life as his mother will allow… more on this later.) C ...more

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Jul 27, 2017 Richie Partington rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction

Richie’s Picks: CLAYTON BYRD GOES UNDERGROUND by Rita Williams-Garcia, HarperCollins/Amistad, May 2017, 176p., ISBN: 978-0-06-221591-8

“When no one steps on my dreams there'll be days like this
When people understand what I mean there'll be days like this
When you ring out the changes of how everything is
Well my mama told me there'll be days like this ”
-- Van Morrison (1995)

“It was seven forty-five and the plan was in action. Clayton avoided the main streets and began the three-quarter-mile hike to ...more

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Aug 23, 2017 Jennifer rated it it was amazing

Shelves: tweener-lit, juvenile-fiction

This perfectly pitched novel about a young black boy's musical journey out of grief after the death of his beloved Cool Papa is pure gold. Funny, smart and full of authentic middle school moments that made me nod in recognition on almost every page, it has the added personal bonus of being set in Queens and the neighborhood where I work in Manhattan. What a delightful, timely addition to RWG's already stupendous body of work. ...more

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Jun 08, 2017 Mary Sanchez rated it it was amazing

Shelves: realistic, underrepresented-cultures, adventure

Clayton and his grandpa, Cool Papa, sneak away on nights Clayton's mom works a long shift. They go to play the blues at Washington Square Park with Cool Papa's band--grandpa on guitar and Clayton on the blues harp (harmonica). But then Cool Papa dies unexpectedly after reading a bedtime story to Clayton. Clayton's mom immediately starts getting rid of every trace of her father--from his guitars to his pork pie hat and she forbids Clayton to play the blues.

Clayton wishes his mother could underst ...more

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May 08, 2017 D.M. Patterson rated it really liked it

The writing style was wonderful and I loved how Williams-Garcia described the sounds of the music. The story was interesting and drew me in and kept me until the end. I liked Clayton's idealization of Cool Papa and his inability to understand why his mom was so mad at Cool Papa. Cool Papa is always there for Clayton in a way he was never there for his own daughter, so Clayton misses the point entirely. It adds a very rich and a very real level of conflict I think a lot of us can relate to. It be ...more

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Jul 17, 2017 Annie rated it really liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 22, 2017 A.C. Paige rated it it was amazing

Shelves: best-of-all, middlegrade

Clayton Byrd loves playing the blues with his Cool Papa. He is talented with the blues harp and doesn't like when people call it a harmonica. Cool Papa typically watches Clayton because his mom works long hours. Cool Papa and Clayton have a beautiful relationship, but Clayton's mom doesn't particularly like the influence the blues might have on her son.

This book is a sweet story about love and acceptance. It is also a story about coping with loss and grief. Highly recommend. ...more

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Feb 22, 2017 Mary Lee rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: race, 2017, grief-loss, journey, music

This white girl from small town/small city doesn't know blues and doesn't know subways, but I was pulled into the story of a boy grieving for his beloved grandfather. One of my fifth grade readers gulped it down in no time, and I read it the same way. ...more

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Jun 11, 2017 Jenn rated it really liked it

Shelves: children-s, mg, newbery-2018

Wow! Really this one is 4.5 stars for me, only because I wanted to know some of the characters for a bit longer. This book packs a lot of emotion and story in only a few pages. Definitely a Newbery contender.

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Jun 01, 2017 Jillian Heise rated it really liked it

Shelves: rep-matters, middle-grade, wsra-chpbk-2017, yr-2017-reads

A sweet story of grief, family, hope, and knowing what means the most to you and finding a way to hang on to it.

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Jul 24, 2017 Hoover Public Library Kids and Teens rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: realistic, childrens-books

"This slim novel strikes a strong chord"—Publishers Weekly ...more

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Mar 09, 2018 Alex Baugh rated it really liked it

Shelves: coming-of-age, diversity, middle-grade, music, grandfathers-and-grandsons

Nothing makes Clayton Bryd happier than sneaking off to Washington Square Park and playing his blues harp (a/k/a harmonica) with his beloved grandfather Cool Papa Byrd and his friends the Bluesmen, except possibly playing a twelve-bar solo. But all Cool Papa keeps telling his not yet. Then, the unthinkable happens and Cool Papa is gone from Clayton's life.

No sooner is Cool Papa's funeral over than his daughter, Juanita, Clayton's mom, decides to sell all his belongings - records, guitars, clothi Nothing makes Clayton Bryd happier than sneaking off to Washington Square Park and playing his blues harp (a/k/a harmonica) with his beloved grandfather Cool Papa Byrd and his friends the Bluesmen, except possibly playing a twelve-bar solo. But all Cool Papa keeps telling his not yet. Then, the unthinkable happens and Cool Papa is gone from Clayton's life.

No sooner is Cool Papa's funeral over than his daughter, Juanita, Clayton's mom, decides to sell all his belongings - records, guitars, clothing, everything. All Clayton manages to salvage is Cool Papa's porkpie hat. Sad and angry, Clayton just doesn't understand why his mom is so bitter towards her father.

To make matters worse, Cool Papa always read to Clayton at bedtime, and no sooner does he return to school, when the teacher announces a new book for the class to read together - the very same book Cool Papa read to help Clayton fall asleep, the one he was reading when he passed away. When Clayton tells the teacher he has already read the book, could he please read another, she insists he read what the class is reading. But Clayton associates that book, The Four Corners of the World with going to sleep and that's just what happens everything time the class begins reading it.

After finally getting suspended for constantly falling asleep when he should be reading, Clayton's mother takes his precious blues harp away. Angry and hurt, and still missing his grandfather, Clayton hatches a plan. The next day, instead of going to school, Clayton finds his blues harp, his grandfather's porkpie hat, and his money - all $17.00 of it - and heads to Washington Square Park to find and join the Bluesman. And that is just the beginning of Clayton's coming of age journey, thanks to the ragtag group of buskers he meets on the subway, and who are just trying to make some money performing hip hop underground.

There is so much going on in Clayton Byrd Goes Underground, I almost don't know where to begin. On the one hand, there is Clayton's story, the loss of the most stable person in his life, followed by his anger and frustration at his mother and teacher for not understanding how profoundly his grandfather's death has impacted his young life. Then, there is his desire to recapture what he had with his grandfather by finding and joining the Bluesmen. But there is also Clayton's mother and her anger and frustration at her father for being gone most of her childhood, coupled with feelings of jealousy as she watches Clayton get the love and attention she had once wished to have, while she is now forced to work long shifts at the hospital to make ends meet.

Cool Papa had always said that "a bluesman ain't a bluesman without that deep-down cry" (pg 6) and that is just what Clayton's underground education helps him understand. Now, I've been riding the NYC subways my whole life and even I had a few breath-holding moments reading Clayton's experiences with those hip hop buskers he meets. And yet, kudos to Williams-Garcia for letting Clayton make wrong decisions and have those scary experiences.

The blues and hip hop, both African American musical and cultural genres. are the perfect musical accompaniment for Clayton Orpheus-like journey to the depth of the underworld to find a way to release his "deep-down cry." To his credit, it is his father who ultimately hears Clayton's cry, the father whose access to Clayton has always been limited by the angry Juanita but whose desire to be part of his son's life never flagged.

Clayton Byrd Goes Underground is an achingly realistic novel, and a brilliant coming of age tale for today young readers.

This book is recommended for readers age 10+
This book was an EARC received from Edelweiss Plus
...more

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Dec 20, 2020 Anita McDivitt Barrios rated it it was amazing

Shelves: middle-grade, musical, black-history-heritage

Clayton Byrd's momma does not like music, at least it appears that way to Clayton. While Clayton adores and soaks up every word regarding music and playing the blues from his grandfather, Cool Papa Byrd, his mother wants nothing to do with Cool Papa's beats.

So when Cool Papa dies, and Clayton's mother practically gives away all of Cool Papa's things, including selling his two guitars, Clayton's heart is crushed.

His mother wants him to forget all this blues nonsense, and Clayton makes some not ve ...more

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About Rita Williams-Garcia

Rita Williams-Garcia

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"I was born in Queens, N.Y, on April 13, 1957. My mother, Miss Essie, named me 'NoMo' immediately after my birth. Although I was her last child, I took my time making my appearance. I like to believe I was dreaming up a good story and wouldn’t budge until I was finished. Even now, my daughters call me 'Pokey Mom', because I slow poke around when they want to go-go-go.

"I learned to read early, and ...more