Tight

August 1, 2018
A loner navigates a dangerous relationship.Bryan is a quiet, Afro-Puerto Rican sixth-grader living in Brooklyn. He enjoys comic books, video games, and keeping to himself. Pa, recently released from prison, and Bryan's sister, Ava, encourage him to be tough. Ava mocks him for being a "momma's boy," and Pa tells him it's better to be feared than liked. Ma, however, encourages Bryan to use his brains instead of his fists. Ma introduces Bryan to Mike, a slightly older black boy who uses the services at the community center where Ma works; she says he "seems nice" and "gets good grades," and Bryan needs a friend. Soon Mike and Bryan become so close that they say they're brothers--but Mike isn't as good as Ma and others think. Bryan gets swept up in Mike's influence and begins to behave badly in small ways, throwing rocks at cars from rooftops and practicing his mother's handwriting so he can forge excuses from school. After Pa violates his parole and is arrested again, Bryan's behavior escalates, including cutting class and hopping onto moving trains. Through Bryan's believable, emotionally honest first-person narration, Maldonado skillfully shows a boy trying to navigate parental desires and the societal expectations of his Brooklyn neighborhood while trying to figure himself out. Readers will be rooting for Bryan to make the right choices even as they understand the wrong ones. (Fiction. 8-12)

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August 1, 2018

Gr 4-7-The complex emotional lives of young boys of color are portrayed through a nascent friendship. Bryan is constantly teased for being "soft," thanks to his preference for comics, drawing, and spending quiet moments with his mom. Through his mother's work at a Brooklyn community center, he meets Mike, an older, "harder" schoolmate whom he's never socialized with before and is apprehensive about befriending. Slowly, Bryan finds they have much in common and begins spending more time with Mike. When Bryan's recently paroled father is re-incarcerated, Mike offers him an emotional outlet in the form of ditching school, the first of several exploits the pair undertake. Pushing of boundaries as an emotional response to trauma, vulnerability, and societal pressures is an overarching theme of the novel, pressing readers to consider the impetus of what is deemed "bad behavior." Regrettably, Mike, who faces many of the same emotional struggles and home life difficulties as Bryan, is not allotted the same degree of sympathy. Maldonado, however, excels at depicting realistic and authentic interactions between middle school boys. VERDICT An excellent addition to libraries with fans of David Barclay Moore's The Stars Beneath Our Feet, Jason Reynolds's Ghost, and character-driven realistic fiction.-Jessica Agudelo, New York Public Library

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 5, 2018
Set in Brooklyn public housing, this novel by Maldonado (Secret Saturdays) centers on Bryan, a Puerto Rican sixth grader grappling with a volatile home life, a friend he can’t trust, his conscience, and his identity. Since leaving jail, Pa hasn’t done much except “hanging in the streets with his homeboys,” but he “still spends zero time” with Bryan and his sister. His level-headed, loving mother has always counseled her son to focus on school rather than friends, since the “wrong friends bring drama,” which proves true when Bryan meets Mike, an edgy, older schoolmate who shares Bryan’s love of reading superhero comics and drawing. Wary of Mike’s mood swings and manipulative behavior yet fearful of being labeled “soft,” Bryan follows Mike’s lead—skipping school and riding the subway by hanging out the back car—while feeling “far away from who I am.” The author shrewdly builds suspense, fueling readers’ dread that Bryan’s poor choices will have dire consequences, but lands Bryan in a satisfying place. This is a psychologically intricate story of the challenges and rewards of family, friendship, and discerning one’s true self. Ages 10–up.

August 1, 2018
Grades 4-7 Bryan dislikes drama, but it's hard to avoid when his dad is in and out of prison and his mom is trying to make ends meet. He knows keeping his head down and working hard in school is his ticket to success, so he's surprised when his mom encourages a friendship with Mike, a classmate he barely knows. Soon the two are bonding over video games, superheroes, and comics. However, Mike starts pressuring Bryan to participate in riskier activities, such as cutting school and subway-train surfing. At first, Bryan goes along because his dad warns him not to be soft, but when he gets busted and prohibited from seeing Mike for a while, Bryan realizes maybe he doesn't need the stress of trying to be cool and accepted by Mike. Maldonado's novel quietly interrogates toxic masculinity in a story that will resonate with middle-grade readers who, just like Bryan, are questioning who they are, who they want to be friends with, and how those choices will impact their lives.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)