Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks

This story was going to begin like all the best stories. With a school bus falling from the sky. But no one saw it happen. They were all too busy—

Talking about boogers.

Stealing pocket change.

Skateboarding.

Wiping out.

Braving up.

Executing complicated handshakes.

Planning an escape.

Making jokes.

Lotioning up.

Finding comfort.

But mostly, too busy walking home.

Jason Reynolds conjures ten tales (one per block) about what happens after the dismissal bell rings, and brilliantly weaves them into one wickedly funny, piercingly poignant look at the detours we face on the walk home, and in life.

Lu

Born with albinism, Lu has always stood out. He'd rather be known for his hurdling talent, though. Will a discovery about his father's past affect his ability to compete? The final volume in the Track series.

Sunny

Sunny’s mother died giving birth to him. Sunny’s father blames him for her death. Track is the only connection between father and son; what will happen when Sunny quits?

Long Way Down

Thisfiercely stunning novel that takes place in sixty potent seconds—the time it takes a kid to decide whether or not he's going to murder the guy who killed his brother.

Patina

Ghost. Lu. Patina. Sunny. Four kids from wildly different backgrounds with personalities that are explosive when they clash. But they are also four kids chosen for an elite middle-school track team.

As Brave As You

2017 Schneider Family Book Award Winner, Middle Grades
2017 Corretta Scott King Author, Honor
Is bravery and becoming a man only about proving something, or is it just as important to own up to what you won’t do?

Ghost

Ghost wants to be the fastest sprinter on his elite middle-school track team, but his past is slowing him down.

All American Boys

2016 Coretta Scott King Author Award Honor Book
Rashad, an African American teen, is beaten by a white police officer. Quinn, also white, witnesses the incident—and flees the scene. As Rashad’s story goes viral, both boys deal with the aftermath.

The Boy in the Black Suit

2016 Coretta Scott King Author Award Honor Book
Reeling from his mother’s recent death, Matt finds a sense of purpose, a place to grieve, and a promising romance in his new job at a local Brooklyn funeral home.

When I Was the Greatest

Ali tries to keep himself—and his friends Noodles and Needles—out of trouble. But an invitation to the hottest party in Bed-Stuy is the kind of trouble that’s hard to resist