Homeboyz

August 1, 2007
Gr 9 Up-After Tina is sprayed with bullets in a gang shoot-out, her older brother and computer hacker, Teddy, 17, plots revenge. In the midst of carrying out his plan, he is arrested and charged with attempted homicide. Barely escaping a prison sentence, he is placed in a community-service program where he's required to mentor Micah, a 12-year-old gangsta wannabe on the path to destruction. After a rocky start, their partnership flourishes: Micah befriends Teddy's quickly disintegrating family and offers information that might lead to Tina's killer. In this third installment of the trilogy that began with "The Hoopster" (Hyperion, 2005), Sitomer uses lean, mean street-speak and dark urban landscapes to emphasize the cycle of violence that Teddy is on the verge of getting caught up in. For the most part, true-grit reality takes precedence over an occasionally preachy subtext, and readers will find themselves riveted with every turn of the page. A frighteningly real story of survival, brotherhood, and friendship."Hillias J. Martin, New York Public Library"

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2007
In this decidedly unsubtle sequel to Hip-Hop High School (Hyperion, 2006), sullen computer wiz Teddy sets out for revenge after gangbangers gun down his sister, Tina, in a drive-by shooting. After an up close encounter with the horrors of Californias juvenile justice system in the wake of a failed first try, hes sentenced to a mentoring program for at-risk youth that forcibly hooks him up with hot but hard-nosed parole officer Mariana and wild, foulmouthed preteen Micah. Sitomerfrequently breaks away from the storyfor clunky minilectures: The lack of money, Teddy knew, kept thousands and thousands of inner-city kids like Micah from getting the educational services they needed. And Micahs instant reform is just one of several strands of blatant wish-fulfillment. Still, the tales violent, rough-hewn plot and street-inflected language supply sufficient intensity to carry the heavy agenda. By the end, Teddy isno more likeable, but at least hes slightlymore socialized.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)