Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
A tween boy from the projects gets all wound up when he's constantly told he needs to be "hard" when he'd rather go with the flow and stay chill. Bryan's mom has always encouraged his quiet, thoughtful nature, but his dad is different. He thinks it's time for the sixth-grader to toughen up. With a quick temper and recently out of jail on probation, he tells Bryan it's better for a man to be feared than to be liked.
Bryan's not really sure about this, and it doesn't seem to even matter when he befriends new kid Omar. At first everything is calm and chill, the way Bryan likes it, as the boys bond over their love of reading comics and drawing superheroes. But things get uncomfortable when it turns out Omar has some risky ideas about how to have fun. Then Bryan's dad gets in a fight and ends up back in jail, and something in Bryan snaps. He starts cutting school, jumping subway turnstiles and going train surfing, with Omar in the lead. But when Omar takes things a step too far and shows his true colors, Bryan has a difficult decision to make.
Synopsis
Tight: Lately Bryan's been feeling it in all kinds of ways . . . Bryan knows what's tight for him--reading comics, drawing superheroes, and hanging out with no drama. But drama is every day where he's from, and that gets him tight, wound up.
And now Bryan's friend Mike pressures him with ideas of fun that are crazy risky. At first, it's a rush following Mike, hopping turnstiles, subway surfing, and getting into all kinds of trouble. But Bryan never really feels right acting so wrong, and drama really isn't him. So which way will he go, especially when his dad tells him it's better to be hard and feared than liked?
But if there's one thing Bryan's gotten from his comic heroes, it's that he has power--to stand up for what he feels . . .
Torrey Maldonado delivers a fast-paced, insightful, dynamic story capturing urban community life. Readers will connect with Bryan's journey as he navigates a tough world with a heartfelt desire for a different life.