About This Book:
The author of What Lane? and Tight delivers a fast-paced read that packs a punch about a boy figuring out how to best use his hands—to build or to knock down.
Trev would do anything to protect his mom and sisters, especially from his stepdad. But his stepdad’s return stresses Trev—because when he left, he threatened Trev’s mom. Rather than live scared, Trev takes matters into his own hands, literally. He starts learning to box to handle his stepdad. But everyone isn’t a fan of his plan, because Trev’s a talented artist, and his hands could actually help him build a better future. And they’re letting him know. But their advice for some distant future feels useless in his reality right now. Ultimately, Trev knows his future is in his hands, and his hands are his own, and he has to choose how to use them.
*Review Contributed By Karen Yingling, Staff Reviewer*
Put your dukes up… or not.
I can appreciate why Maldonado made this a bit more contemplative than his other titles, but I also know that the “train surfing” in Tight was a big draw for my readers! I wish that we would have seen more of the mother in the story, since Trev is clearly very fond of her, and her experience with the stepfather drives so many of Trev’s actions.
Maldonado’s Tight and What Lane are popular titles in my library (as was Secret Saturdays (2012) until the third or fourth copy was lost. I need to replace it again!), so I will definitely be purchasing because I definitely have the readers for it. The cover is very appealing. I can also see this being a good book to use as a class read aloud, since it has some interesting themes of identity and community. Maldonado is himself a middle school language arts teacher, and his exposure to the target demographic of readers is very evident. Always glad to see a new book from him.
