Langston and his father have moved to Chicago after the death of his mother. Langston misses Alabama and his grandmother. Chicago is lonely and he is bullied by his classmates who call him "country". His father works long hours at the factory and Langston is on his own a lot. He discovers the George Cleveland Hall branch library and its remarkable librarians who introduce Langston to the poetry of his namesake Langston Hughes. These poems bring the South back into Langston's life. 

Langston and his father are part of the great migration when African Americans moved from the South to the North during the early part of the 20th century. There's is a common story about exchanging farm work for factory work. I do wish there had been more information on life in Chicago. Really all that was touched upon was the library and its vibrant Black culture. This is a very short book that packs quite the punch. There is bullying, grief, immigration, and culture. I am not sure any of those topics got quite the attention they deserved due to the length of the book.