From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jason Reynolds, a 'funny and rewarding' (Publishers Weekly) coming-of-age novel about friendship and loyalty across neighbourhood lines and the hardship of life for an urban teen. A lot of the stuff that gives my neighbourhood a bad name, I don't really mess with. The guns and drugs and all that, not really my thing. Nah, not his thing. Ali's got enough going on, between school and boxing and helping out at home. His best friend Noodles, though. Now there's a dude looking for trouble - and, somehow, it's always Ali around to pick up the pieces. But, hey, a guy's gotta look out for his boys, right? Besides, it's all small potatoes; it's not like anyone's getting hurt. And then there's Needles. Needles is Noodles's brother. He's got a syndrome, and gets these ticks and blurts out the wildest, craziest things. It's cool, though: everyone on their street knows he doesn't mean anything by it. Yeah, it's cool . . . until Ali and Noodles and Needles find themselves somewhere they never expected to be . . . somewhere they never should've been - where the people aren't so friendly, and even less forgiving. 'A funny and rewarding read.' Publisher's Weekly, Starred Review 'Urban fiction with heart . . . unexpectedly gorgeous.' Booklist 'Moving and thought-provoking . . . defies readers' expectations.' Kirkus

 

 

This book has been graded for interest at 12 years.

There are 272 pages in this book.

It is aimed at Young Adult readers. The term Young Adult (YA) is used for books which have the following characteristics: (1) aimed at ages 12-18 years, US grades 7-12, UK school years 8-15, (2) around 50-75k words long, (3) main character is aged 12-18 years, (4) topics include self-reflection, internal conflict vs external, analyzing life and its meaning, (5) point of view is often in the first person, and (6) swearing, violence, romance and sexuality are allowed.

This book was published in 2022 by Faber & Faber .

Jason Reynolds is the winner of more than 25 US and international awards, including the 2018 Edgar Award and LA Times Book Prize, Newbery Award, Printz Award and two time Walter Dean Myers Award winner. A New York Times bestselling author, his books include Long Way Down, Miles Morales, Boy in the Black Suit and the Run series (Ghost, Patina, Sunny and Lu).