Bronxwood

by Coe Booth

Overview

The anticipated return to Tyrell's story, now in paperback!

Tyrell's got a lot going on. His father just got out of jail. His little brother is stuck in foster care. The dealers he's living with are taking bigger and bigger risks. And girls -- they only seem to be adding to his problems. Everybody wants something from Tyrell. His father wants him to go back to being a child. His little brother wants his help. The guys he's staying with are pushing him to start dealing. And the girls he's talking to want his time, his money, his attention, and his love.Tyrell's got too much pressure, too many choices. He's got to figure out fast what he's going to do next -- before he gets in so deep he can't get back out again.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780439925358
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	10/29/2013
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	96,817
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Coe Booth is a graduate of The New School's Writing for Children MFA program, and a winner of the LA Times Book Prize for Young Adult Fiction. She is the author of Tyrell and Kendra, and was born and still lives in the Bronx.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for BRONXWOOD:". . . Readers who have been with Tyrell from the beginning as well as those meeting him for the first time will be utterly invested in his future." -- KIRKUS REVIEWS". . . Tyrell tells his own story in language that never misses in its gritty authenticity. . ." -- BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN'S BOOKS". . . A compelling tale of a teen still trying to make the right choices despite the painful consequences." -- SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL"Booth paints a vivid picture of urban African American life. . ." -- VOYAPraise for TYRELL:A 2007 LA TIMES Book Prize Winner for Young Adult FictionAn ALA Best Books for Young Adults"[A] gritty and gripping first novel." -- THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW* "Heartbreakingly realistic. . . . Unlike many books reflecting the contemporary street scene, this one is more than just a pat situation with a glib resolution; it's filled with surprising twists and turns that continue to the end." -- BOOKLIST, starred review"The definitive tale of the modern African American urban youth." -- VOYA

From the Publisher

Gr 9 Up—In Tyrell (Scholastic, 2006), the teen dumped the girl who lied to him and left his mother to her own devices. He set up a new life in Bronxwood, crashing with two friends who are heavily involved in drug dealing. Now his father's out of prison and wants to reunite the family, but Tyrell finds the rules and posturing too much to handle and stays out on his own. He quickly realizes that without his own DJ equipment, he can't make the money he needs to support himself and take care of his girlfriend, Jasmine. When the decision comes down to what's best for his little brother, Troy, and what's best for Tyrell, the tough choice will change his life. Returning to the inner-city setting that is as much a character as any of the individuals, Booth builds up the conflict brought on by Tyrell's temptations—the drug dealers are more violent and persuasive, the girls are more enticing, and the family dynamics are more charged. Action scenes combine with interpersonal exchanges to keep the pace moving forward at a lightning speed, but Booth never sacrifices the street-infused dialogue and emotional authenticity that characterize her works. She has created a compelling tale of a teen still trying to make the right choices despite the painful consequences.—Chris Shoemaker, New York Public Library

School Library Journal

Booth returns to the gritty and dangerous Bronx projects to pick up the memorable story of Tyrell seven months after the conclusion ofTyrell(2006).

With his father out of jail, the now 16-year-old Tyrell has mixed feelings about having him back. "Two men in one house don't work." Tyrell tried keeping his family together while his pops was locked up, but he failed: Troy, his younger brother, is living in foster care. "...I know I fucked up," he confides to readers. Booth packs a lot into this story: Tyrell's guilt about Troy, his resentment toward his irresponsible father, his blossoming romantic relationship with friend Jasmine who is living with a 40-year-old man and his anger over his mother's infidelity. The author captures the dangers of inner-city life as readers follow a teen trying desperately to be a man as he watches his friends and, especially, his father, make right or wrong choices. Despite the multitude of negative influences, Tyrell, who is no saint, attempts to make a better life for himself. Tyrell's fresh voice and his frank talk about sex, drug use and violence give authenticity to the dismal urban setting.

This book can stand alone, but the cliffhanger ending begs another installment; readers who have been with Tyrell from the beginning as well as those meeting him for the first time will be utterly invested in his future.(Fiction. 14 & up)

Kirkus Reviews