A trailblazing, blockbuster YA mystery about three teen boys of color who must investigate their principal’s murder to clear their own names—for fans of Angie Thomas, Jason Reynolds, and Karen McManus.
The Urban Promise Prep School vows to turn boys into men. As students, J.B., Ramón, and Trey are forced to follow the prestigious "program's" strict rules. Extreme discipline, they’ve been told, is what it takes to be college bound, to avoid the fates of many men in their neighborhoods. This, the Principal Moore Method, supposedly saves lives.
But when Moore ends up murdered and the cops come sniffing around, the trio emerges as the case's prime suspects. With all three maintaining their innocence, they must band together to track down the real killer before they are arrested. But is the true culprit hiding among them? This exquisitely taut thriller shines a glaring light on how the system too often condemns Black and Latinx teen boys to failure before they’ve even had a chance at success.
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Gr 9 Up-Urban Promise Prep School, an all-boys school in Washington, DC, aims to combat the challenges of urban education with structure and discipline. The so-called "Moore method," named after Principal Kenneth Moore, does not allow phones, talking, or even laughing during the school day. While outsiders may see Promise's graduation rates and think it a success, those on the inside see the cracks forming long before the novel's inciting incident-the murder of Principal Moore, who is shot after school during a basketball game. Three boys, J.B., Trey, and Ramón, who were unsupervised in detention at the time of the murder, become the prime suspects. Though each boy has his own potential motive, each claims innocence and must fight to prove it before they become victims of a system that often unfairly punishes young men of color. Brooks builds suspense in the novel through changing time lines and narrators, along with short chapters that leave readers wanting more. Despite of the quick pace, the character development is solid; readers get to know each of the three boys, as well as a compelling cast of secondary characters, well. VERDICT With social justice themes, relatable teenage protagonists, and a satisfying conclusion, this is an essential purchase for teen collections.-Mary Kamela?(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.