Wikipedia

Last Stop on Market Street

Last Stop on Market Street is a 2015 children's book written by American author Matt de la Peña and illustrated by Christian Robinson, which won the 2016 Newbery Medal,[1][2][3] a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor,[4] and a Caldecott Honor.[5] The book follows a young boy named CJ as he learns to appreciate the beauty in everyday things during a bus ride. De la Peña and Robinson both drew on personal experiences when working together to create the book. Through its story and illustrations, Last Stop on Market Street tackles issues of race and class as they may be seen through the eyes of a young teen. Last Stop on Market Street was met with widespread acclaim after its release, receiving positive reviews from Kirkus Reviews and the New York Times Book Review amongst many others. Last Stop on Market Street's Newbery win was monumental, as it is extremely rare for picture books to be awarded this medal. In 2018, the children's book was adapted into a children's musical which has been performed by various children's theater groups across the country.

Last Stop on Market Street
AuthorMatt de la Peña
IllustratorChristian Robinson
LanguageEnglish
GenreChildren's
PublisherPenguin Books
Publication date
2015
Publication placeUnited States
Pages32 pp

Plot

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This illustrated children’s book follows a young Black-American boy named CJ as he accompanies his grandmother, (nicknamed Nana) on the city bus to volunteer at a soup kitchen. The book begins with the pair exiting a church during a rainstorm. As they walk to a bus stop, CJ asks Nana why they have to walk in the rain, and Nana replies that trees, too, need water. When they arrive at the bus stop, CJ witnesses his friend, Colby, riding home in a car with his father and asks his Nana why they do not have a car. Later, the bus pulls up outside of them and CJ, along with his Nana, walks up to the front seat. After encountering a blind man and witnessing two boys with iPods a man plays a song on his guitar, causing CJ to finally feel true beauty. The book ends with CJ and Nana working at a soup kitchen.

Background

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De la Peña’s experiences growing up with a white mother and first generation Mexican American father in the border town of National City, California, informed his writing of this book.[6] As a teenager, de la Peña realized how students were constantly grouped by their social class and race, creating a “forgotten group” of kids from marginalized backgrounds who were not expected or encouraged to succeed.[6] He now strives to make these kids visible through his writing, as he was once one of them.[6] De la Peña himself did not realize his love for reading until college, and during his Newbery Medal acceptance speech, described his desire to expose kids to “the magic of books at a younger age.”[7] He pondered, “What if I can write a story that offers that tough, hoodied kid in the back of the auditorium a secret place to feel?”[7]

Years before writing Last Stop on Market Street, de la Peña was first introduced to illustrator Christian Robinson's art and was immediately blown away.[8] The piece that moved him the most was an illustration of a boy on a bus with his grandmother, which became the inspiration for Last Stop on Market Street.[8] The story was extremely personal for both Robinson and de la Peña as they both had close relationships with their grandmothers and spent many years taking the bus.[8] Robinson in particular took the bus with his grandmother throughout his childhood.[8]

Analysis

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Last Stop on Market Street utilizes the picture book format to discuss the influence that race and class have in the lives of urban teens and their identity formation.[6] Literary scholar Katherine Slater argues that, in Last Stop on Market Street, Black mobility is portrayed as an empowering force of resistance against marginalization.[9] She explains how mobility is always influenced by the larger power structures at play, and in the United States, the movements of black people tend to be directed towards punitive ends.[9] Slater particularly focuses on how the bus in Last Stop on Market Street represents mobility, first describing how it evokes the long history of civil rights activism that has involved busses.[9] She asserts that de la Peña's use of metaphors and personification portray the bus as a space of possibility and flexibility instead of limitation.[9] Additionally, she states that Robinson's illustrations of the bus utilize diagonal lines to symbolize mobility.[9]

Reception

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Kirkus Reviews called Last Stop on Market Street "a textual and artistic tour de force."[10] Writing for The New York Times Book Review, Newbery Medal-winning author Linda Sue Park wrote that, in addition to the revelation that CJ and Nana are on their way to a soup kitchen, "it's also the warmth of their intergenerational relationship that will make this book so satisfying, for both young readers and the adults sharing it with them."[11] Thom Barthelmess wrote in Booklist that "The celebratory warmth is irresistible, offering a picture of community that resonates with harmony and diversity."[12] Nell Beram wrote in The Horn Book Magazine, "This quietly remarkable book will likely inspire questions of a sort less practical-minded than CJ's; it will also have some adult readers reaching for a tissue."[13] Writing for School Library Journal, Joy Fleishhacker said, "Poetic narration, radiant geometric-shaped artwork, and an authentic and enrichingly eye-opening representation of a diverse urban setting combine with out-and-out child appeal to make this tale a standout."[14]

Awards[15]

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Amongst its many honors, Last Stop on Market Street was awarded the 2016 Newbery Medal, arguably the most highly regarded U.S. prize in children’s literature.[18] This award marked a historic moment in the Newbery's history as Matt de la Peña became the first ever Hispanic American author to win the Medal.[19] It also was regarded as a breakthrough moment for picture books, as Last Stop on Market Street became only the second-ever picture book to win the award, with the first being in 1982.[20] Prior to 2016 only nine of the 403 Newbery Medal and Honor titles were picture books, seven of them being Newbery honors and two winning the medal.[20]

Adaptations

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Since its release, Last Stop on Market Street has been adapted to a children’s musical of the same name.[21] Chicago Children’s Theatre and Minneapolis based Children’s Theatre Company co-commissioned the musical which first premiered in Chicago in the spring of 2018.[21] Playwright Cheryl West adapted the book for the stage, further developing the characters and scenarios in de la Peña’s story while still adhering to its overarching themes.[21] For example, in the musical CJ's character is a visitor in his Grandmother's town and is of afro-cuban descent.[21] The music for the show was written by famous Motown songwriter Lamont Dozier, known for hits such as Marvin Gaye’s “How Sweet It Is,” who was joined by his composer son Paris Ray Dozier.[21] When creating the musical's score, The Doziers incorporated elements of soul, which is Lamont’s area of expertise, with the Hip-Hop style more familiar to his son.[21] The pair embraced the thematic change in CJ’s heritage by incorporating Cuban and Latin music into the show.[21]

Since the musical’s creation, many other children’s theater groups across the country have added it to their programs such as Dallas Children’s theater[22] and Minneapolis based Metro Theater Company.[23] Rochester based theater group Theater Young Kids Enjoy opened their 17th season with the show, which ran for two weekends and featured an all-BIPOC cast.[24] The musical adaptation of Last Stop on Market Street was also a part of Northwestern University’s pilot program for their Learn and Imagine Together Through Theater (LITT) partnership.[25] LITT is a partnership between Northwestern, Evanston School district 65, and the Imagine U theater company aimed to advance racial equity through theater.[25] In fall of 2021 the Imagine U production of the show was streamed to 45 classrooms of fourth graders in district 65, followed by a 45 minute drama lesson.[25]

References

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  1. ^ "'Last Stop On Market Street' Wins Newbery Medal, 'Finding Winnie' Takes Caldecott". NPR.org. 11 January 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  2. ^ "Matt de la Peña Becomes First Latino Male Author to Win Prestigious Newbery Medal - Latino USA". Latino USA. 11 January 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  3. ^ "Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast". blaine.org. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  4. ^ "The Coretta Scott King Book Awards". 30 October 2006. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  5. ^ "Caldecott Medal & Honor Books, 1938-Present". Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  6. ^ a b c d Buehler, Jennifer (2010). ""Their Lives are Beautiful, Too": How Matt De La Peña Illuminates the Lives of Urban Teens". ALAN Review. 37 (2): 36.
  7. ^ a b de la Peña, Matt. "Newbery Medal Acceptance." Horn Book Magazine, vol. 92, no. 4, 2016, pp. 56-64.
  8. ^ a b c d Jules. "Last Stop on Market Street: A Visit with Matt De La Peña & Christian Robinson.", Jan 6th, 2015, http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/?p=3624 .
  9. ^ a b c d e Slater, Katharine. “Lurched Forward and Stopped”: Last Stop on Market Street and Black Mobility." Children's Literature in Education: An International Quarterly, vol. 51, no. 4, 2020, pp. 451-465.
  10. ^ "LAST STOP ON MARKET STREET by Matt de la Peña, illustrated by Christian Robinson". Kirkus Reviews. October 22, 2014. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  11. ^ Park, Linda Sue (January 16, 2015). "Jane Bahk's 'Juna's Jar,' and More". The New York Times Book Review. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  12. ^ Barthelmess, Thom (February 1, 2015). "Last Stop on Market Street, by Matt de la Pena". Booklist. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  13. ^ Beram, Nell (March 9, 2015). "Review of Last Stop on Market Street". The Horn Book Magazine. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  14. ^ Fleishhacker, Joy (November 30, 2015). "All Around the Town - Great Books About Buses". School Library Journal. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  15. ^ "Last Stop on Market Street by Matt De La Peña". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  16. ^ "Charlotte Zolotow Award Books". Cooperative Children's Book Center. University of Wisconsin - Madison. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  17. ^ "Best Children's Books of the Year Archive". Bank Street College of Education. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
  18. ^ Barron, Christina (January 11, 2016). "Picture Book Wins 2016 Newbery Medal". The Washington Post.
  19. ^ Kirby, Jo A. (2019). "Newbery Award-Winning Author to Speak at Pacific's Commencement". Education Database. University Wire.
  20. ^ a b Schreiber, Mary (2017). "And the Newbery Goes to...:A Picturebook?". Children and Libraries: The Journal of the Association for Library Service to Children. 15 (2): 29–31.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g Preston, Rohan. "Next Stop: Motown: Motor City Music Great Lamont Dozier Helps Drive a New Children's Theatre Musical that Blends Soul, Latin and Hip-Hop into a Teaching Moment about Urban Life." Star Tribune, 2018, ProQuest Central.
  22. ^ "Last Stop on Market Street' Continues DCT Season." Park Cities People (Highland Park, University Park, TX), Mar 2, 2020.
  23. ^ Calvin Wilson Post-Dispatch theater critic. "Metro Theater's 'Last Stop on Market Street' Takes a Ride through Hip-Hop, Motown." St. Louis Post - Dispatch, 2022. ProQuest Central.
  24. ^ Natalia Rodríguez Medina. "'Last Stop on Market Street' Musical Based on an Award-Winning Book." Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, 2022. ProQuest Central.
  25. ^ a b c "Northwestern: Making Theater More Accessible for Young People." Targeted News Service (USA), 2022. NewsBank; Access World News.
Awards
Preceded by Newbery Medal recipient
2016 		Succeeded by
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