Dough Boys

May 15, 2019
The companion to So Done (2018) focuses its lens on the complicated friendship between Simp and Rollie as they strive to make their mark despite the threatening pressures of their surroundings. Deontae "Simp" Wright and Roland "Rollie" Matthews came up together between the rec center and the basketball courts of their Pirates Cove neighborhood. It's always been a breeze, kickin' it and preparing to rep the Cove on its legendary basketball team, the Marauders. Except now, they realize how complicated it is playing for the 'Rauders, as Coach Tez also expects them to take up other responsibilities, like playing lookout for Tez's investments in the local drug game. For Simp, this come-up represents where he needs to be, because he's 13 and has to help take care of his brothers while his mother constantly works to stay afloat. On the other hand, Rollie feels torn between being there for his homeboy Simp and stepping away from the burdens of being a 'Rauder in favor of his growing obsession for playing the drums. What will he do when music teacher Mr. B presents him with an opportunity of a lifetime? As in her previous book, Chase displays her signature flair for conveying black youths' language of intimacy even as she refuses the inaccurate yet popular theory that complex ethical entanglements cannot be engaged in middle-grade fiction. A thoughtful exploration of the soul-fulfilling heaviness of life in black urban communities. (Fiction. 8-13)

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July 1, 2019
Grades 5-8 The hood life isn't for everyone?especially not those looking to get out. This companion novel to So Done (2018) features best friends Rollie Matthews and Simp Wright, whose middle-school basketball coach has begun grooming them to become drug lookout boys. Simp has big dreams of playing basketball, but his mother's consistent neglect leaves him with a life of paying bills and raising his younger brothers. Rollie's family is struggling as well, but when he sees a way out of his life as a dough boy, he wants to take it. With the end of middle school in sight, Simp's mother pressures him and his brothers deeper into the life, and while Rollie pursues another path, their friendship begins to strain until it all comes to a head in a thrilling conclusion. Fans of Chase's previous work will love the various cameos of familiar characters, but there's universal appeal to be found in this bittersweet look at friendship in the hood.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)