Concrete Rose: A Printz Honor Winner
International phenomenon Angie Thomas revisits Garden Heights seventeen years before the events of The Hate U Give in this searing and poignant exploration of Black boyhood and manhood. A Printz Honor Book!
If there’s one thing seventeen-year-old Maverick Carter knows, it’s that a real man takes care of his family. As the son of a former gang legend, Mav does that the only way he knows how: dealing for the King Lords. With this money he can help his mom, who works two jobs while his dad’s in prison.
Life’s not perfect, but with a fly girlfriend and a cousin who always has his back, Mav’s got everything under control.
Until, that is, Maverick finds out he’s a father.
Suddenly he has a baby, Seven, who depends on him for everything. But it’s not so easy to sling dope, finish school, and raise a child. So when he’s offered the chance to go straight, he takes it. In a world where he’s expected to amount to nothing, maybe Mav can prove he’s different.
When King Lord blood runs through your veins, though, you can't just walk away. Loyalty, revenge, and responsibility threaten to tear Mav apart, especially after the brutal murder of a loved one. He’ll have to figure out for himself what it really means to be a man.
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Community Reviews
Based on what I already knew about Maverick's story, I was prepared for this to be a dark and difficult book. And while it was, I definitely didn't expect to laugh as hard at these little dorks as I did. It reminded me of the antics from my high school classmates (which I hadn't realized I missed until now) However, young Mav's predicament is something I've known so many kids have found themselves in - yet Maverick is inspiring. Maverick was a train wreck, don't get me wrong, but it was interesting to watch him get his redemption. Thomas could have gone with a lot of stereotypes, but that would have been lazy and not like her at all. Instead, we can watch as some dumb teenagers act like fools, but still take heart in knowing that they grow up to become amazing people and their teen years weren't at all mistakes.
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