From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jason Reynolds, a āfunny and rewardingā (Publishers Weekly) coming-of-age novel about friendship and loyalty across neighborhood lines and the hardship of life for an urban teen.
A lot of the stuff that gives my neighborhood a bad name, I donāt really mess with. The guns and drugs and all that, not really my thing.
Nah, not his thing. Aliās got enough going on, between school and boxing and helping out at home. His best friend Noodles, though. Now thereās a dude looking for troubleāand, somehow, itās always Ali around to pick up the pieces. But, hey, a guyās gotta look out for his boys, right? Besides, itās all small potatoes; itās not like anyoneās getting hurt.
And then thereās Needles. Needles is Noodlesās brother. Heās got a syndrome, and gets these tics and blurts out the wildest, craziest things. Itās cool, though: everyone on their street knows he doesnāt mean anything by it.
Yeah, itās coolā¦until Ali and Noodles and Needles find themselves somewhere they never expected to beā¦somewhere they never should've beenāwhere the people arenāt so friendly, and even less forgiving.