Nic Stone

Garbage. Trash. Crap.
I picked up this book because it was short and I enjoyed another of the series (by a different author). I am very sorry that I did.
For being less than 30 pages, this book had every single content warning that I have seen EVER. It was horrid.
This book was disgusting and I will never read anything by this author again. I cannot recommend this to anyone for any reason.

Content: s*x trafficking, murder, parent with severe mental issues, abusive stepparent, s*x between minors, descriptions of peeing(?), literally everything was about race, drug use, a girl plans to “have her fun” with FMC… (mer)

Using the Negro Travelers’ Green Book and her hidden past as a road map, a grandma takes her grandson on a cross country journey.

When G’ma pulls up to William “Scoob” Lamar’s house in a brand-new Winnebago and invites him on an adventure, Scoob leaves a note for his dad and jumps in. Despite not knowing where they are going, or why G’ma has traded in her Mini Cooper and house for the RV, Scoob is a willing wingman because he wants to save spring break and escape his strict single dad for a few days. Readers will appreciate the bond between Scoob and G’ma; Stone balances fun with emotion for a compelling read. After they cross from Georgia to Alabama and G’ma keeps avoiding Dad’s calls, Scoob begins to get suspicious. When G’ma lets him see the contents of her once off-limits treasure box, which includes a 1963 edition of the Travelers’ Green Book, Scoob understands this trip means much more than even he imagined. The complex role race plays in their family and on this trip—Scoob is mixed-race and presents black, and G’ma is white—is explored in a meaningful way that provides details about a period in time as well as present-day realities. Rich in history, Stone’s middle-grade debut entertains and informs young readers. The subdued ending may frustrate, but the journey, punctuated by Anyabwile’s grayscale cartoons, is well worth it.

A road trip to remember. (Fiction. 8-12)

-Kirkus Review… (mer)

It's been awhile since I read Dear Martin, but that didn't hinder me from falling into this story. Quan and Justyce are both bright kids who meet during elementary school. Quan's parents aren't together and his mom is with an abusive partner. Quan's dad becomes incarcerated. And Quan needs someone who believes in him and his losing those people at a rapid pace for a variety of reasons. Quan is arrested once, twice, and becomes a part of Martel's operations, dealing arms and having some strict requirements for being part of an organization. When a police stop at a birthday party goes sideways, Quan finds himself in jail again. However, a community of support starts to gather around him and that changes his trajectory.
Letters and snapshots intersperse Quan's narrative that broaden the story and offer additional insight. A compelling read.… (mer)