Written entirely in poems.

Themes around loyalty, gang violence and revenge.

Hook: Suspenseful, captivating with a cliffhanger at the end.

Plot: A young Black boy whose brother was killed; the main character is avenging his brother’s death.

You could have a follow-up activity because of the cliffhanger (the cliffhanger involves questioning what the surviving brother ends up doing).

Grade 9 and 10 Immersion - the book can be used to show students reading can be fun and engaging, because many Immersion students are not presented with interesting French options.

Can be used as a read-aloud due to the rhythmic nature or as a pleasure reading.

Concern about stereotypes about Black people being involved in gang violence but also shows a lot of compassion towards the brother, it was all about his thought process.

To help addressing the stereotypes you can pair it with another text (essay, poem, article) and watch an interview with the author. 

Amanda thought the book was relevant to her students particularly the theme of loyalty. 

Classroom use:

• Supplement novel for immersion students.

• Teach the novel itself to Core students, because it's not too hard (not many words per page despite being a thick book).

• Great as a read-aloud or just pleasure reading for students.

• Content warnings: Violence, blood, gore, killing and gangs.