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"Jimmy always told me there were only two kinds of gangbangers: Those who were dead and those who were going to die. Joining a gang doesn't make sense to Jimmy..."
Jimmy is dead now—gunned down in front of his little sister, Mina, and his brother, Tito. And Tito is left wondering: Was Jimmy in a gang after all? Ice Breaker Joe and Lamar think so. They say Jimmy was skimming their drug money. And if the missing cash isn't returned, Tito may have to pay—with his life.
Some people go to the crossroads, but Tito's crossroads laid themselves down in front of him. His brother Jimmy sprawls on the sidewalk at his feet. Shot in a drive by. Now a gang claims that Jimmy was their Ace Man. They say Tito must take his place and resolve some unfinished business. They give him a gun. "You need protection. It's not safe on the street." What path will be choose at the crossroads? He knows one leads to safety and one to death . . . but which is which?
Twelve-year-old Tito, while helping to care for his little sister, struggles to find his way during the aftermath of his brother's death in a gang-related shooting.
Written in stripped-down prose that mirrors (sometimes gratingly) Tito's bleak world, the brief tale combines the plot twists of a mystery with a topical setting and theme that will appeal to reluctant readers.
Anonymous
Posted Tue Feb 05 00:00:00 EST 2013
This is a good book, i read it for a class and i finished in a couple days. I woud subjest this book for a older reading audience.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Thu Nov 15 00:00:00 EST 2007
We had to read this book for our language arts class. I thought I would die of boredom. First of all, we are in 8th grade, and this book is obviously intended for younger children. Secondly, it was not realistic. I couldn't really see any of this really happening, maybe some of it, but not all of it. Drive By had the same story line as countless other books that are out there. The author did not use any descriptive works, all I could she was 'She said, he said, she said, he said, he said, said, said, said' I mean come on! Throw in 'exclaimed' or 'gasped' or something just a tiny bit more interesting in here! It was so easy, and fast moving, I wish the author would have paid a little more attention to detail. Explain the scene, plant a picture in my head, make me sit on the edge of seat. I doubt this has to do with the author directly, put the voice on the tape was extremely blah, and read really slow.
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Posted Mon Apr 11 00:00:00 EDT 2005
wow i cant believe i actually read i usually dont read books only book about something interestin, and this book made me read more and more n i finised it in 3 days. i was so into it. i NEVER finished a book so fast. THIS NEVER HAPENED I AM SURPRISING MY SELF
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Posted Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 EDT 2005
I am a real 'gang kid' from Long Beach California. I got my first gun when I was 8. I have been drive-byed 5 times and my best friend got killed when he was 13. My English teacher gave me this book to do a review on. I gave this book 5 stars because I think it has a good message for some kids who might think about joining a gang. But I got to say that I was disappointed with this book because it is not very on the real. You can tell a person who never lived this kind of life wrote it, or had kids who did, even though she might have known some kids who lived like this. But that does not make it a bad book. I think that if you liked this book and want to know more about gangs on tha real, you should checkout some books like the Last Street Fighter or Always Runing. There is some stuff about gangs in the book 'Ghost Train' too. Like I said I think this book was a good try, it has a good message but it¿s not very on the real if you live where I do.
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Posted Tue Nov 16 00:00:00 EST 2004
this is my favorite book in this universe i hope u like it 2. it teaches u about the family meanings and things u cant pass up in life and about friendship.
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Posted Mon Oct 20 00:00:00 EDT 2003
Did someone ever killed your brother and was thrating your family. Well that what's heapend to Tito. His brother Jimmy was a gang, but Tito didn;t to belive in it, but Joe and Lamer seen to think so. They say that Jimmy was selling drugs and skimming their drug money. Now they whant Tito to join their gang, but he doesn't. So Tito may pay with his life for that.
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Posted Mon Oct 20 00:00:00 EDT 2003
Have you every read a newspaper and it said, teenagers gets shot? Or have you seen it on TV? This story is about two brothers and one sister, how they were having fun, and then one of the brother gets shot by Gang Bangers. This story is a drama and mystery, it takes place near a library in California. When the older brother jimmy got killed by gang bangers it was up to his younger brother Tito to take care of the rest unfinished besiness. This story i would say is really for guys, and teenagers, I don't think girls would be intrested in this story, unless they like stories about gangs. I do reccomend this book, it is a interesting story. When you start reading the book, you will never want to stop.
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Posted Wed Sep 17 00:00:00 EDT 2003
I did'nt like to read but when i read this book i love it and now i love 2 read.
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Posted Wed May 21 00:00:00 EDT 2003
i liked this book i hate reading but i loved this book it made me want to keep reading i would read this book agian
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Posted Mon Mar 31 00:00:00 EST 2003
I think this is a great book. I read this book when I was in 5th grade! and I'm now in 11th and I don't know what It was but all of a sudden one day I just thought of It and decided to look It up on the web and I found this! I truly recommend this book I think It's the best(especially after I remembered It after 6 years!)
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Posted Thu Aug 08 00:00:00 EDT 2002
this is a good book for kids to read because it makes you think. Tito has to make difficult decisions about gangs and guns. The book is sad and tense but also makes you laugh. He has a sister named Mina who gets him into embarrassing messes but she also gets him into a couple of scary confrontations. I liked this book. It's my favorite read this summer.
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Posted Wed Jul 17 00:00:00 EDT 2002
We had to read this book in class. At first I didn't think I'd like it but it's my favorite now. It's really really really sad and I hated that we had to read it in class because I wanted to cry so bad but didn't want anyone to see me. YOu know what I mean.
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Posted Mon Apr 15 00:00:00 EDT 2002
I read this book when I was in middle school. This book brought me to tears. It showed me that family is very, VERY important and to never let the bond between siblings be broken. I loved this book.
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Posted Thu Jan 31 00:00:00 EST 2002
I absolutly love this book. It's the greatest that I've ever read in my whole life. It's my favorite book. I think everyone should check out the sequal to it too. Well their not sequals but they sortof go together as sequals.
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Posted Thu Feb 14 00:00:00 EST 2002
Tito is a boy from L.A. who lives with his mom, his sister Mina, and his brother Jimmy. When Jimmy gets killed by gang bangers in a drive-by, they are then after Tito because of Jimmy's past. Tito has to get through a number of situations in order to survive. I liked the book because it has a lot of action and suspense, and it tells about real-life situations. If I read it, then I think I most students would like to read it. Teachers and older people would not like it because they usually read long, difficult books. It was cool!!!
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Posted Thu Aug 02 00:00:00 EDT 2001
This is one of the most interesting story I have ever read. I keeps you on your toes wondering what's going to happen next.
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Posted Thu May 10 00:00:00 EDT 2001
My class just finished this book and they would not put it down. It is very realistic to the issues kids have to deal with in the inner city. I had the best book discussions of the year. NO DOUBT YOUR CLASS WILL LOVE THIS BOOK!
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Posted Tue Mar 28 00:00:00 EST 2000
I have read this book like 50 times and I have enjoyed it every time! Like I said in the headline, this is an AWESOME BOOK! I really encourage people of all ages to read this book or have it read to them. Almost everyone in my classroom has read this book and they have all enjoyed it. I told one person about it and they read it. Then they told other people about it and now it is hardly ever in the school library. THIS IS AN AWESOME BOOK!
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Posted Wed May 13 00:00:00 EDT 2009
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted Mon Dec 26 00:00:00 EST 2011
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Overview
"Jimmy always told me there were only two kinds of gangbangers: Those who were dead and those who were going to die. Joining a gang doesn't make sense to Jimmy..."
Jimmy is dead now—gunned down in front of his little sister, Mina, and his brother, Tito. And Tito is left wondering: Was Jimmy in a gang after all? Ice Breaker Joe and Lamar think so. They say Jimmy was skimming their drug money. And if the missing cash isn't returned, Tito may have to pay—with his life.
Some people ...