The thought-provoking Newbery Honor Book about loyalty, freedom, and what it means to be a man in 1980s Harlem that has gripped generations of readers.
Jamal has been struggling since his older brother, Randy, was arrested. His mom has to work around the clock to try to earn the money to pay for Randys appeal, and though Jamal is now the man of the house, he cant even stand up to bullies like his school principal. How is he going to help his mom come up with the two thousand dollars they need?
Before long, Jamal gets a visit from Randys friend Mack, who runs with the infamous Scorpions gang that traffics drugs all over Harlem. Mack offers a solution to Jamals problems: Take Randys place as the leader of the Scorpions. Get the money to pay for Randys case. Gain respect and notoriety he cant get any other way.
Jamal knows that the Scorpions are trouble and wants to do the right thingbut the choice may not be up to him.
Walter Dean Myers was a New York Times bestselling author, Printz Award winner, five-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Award, two-time Newbery Honor recipient, and the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. Maria Russo, writing in the New York Times, called Myers "one of the greats and a champion of diversity in childrens books well before the cause got mainstream attention."
