The Yo-Yo Prophet
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
Calvin is the smallest guy in his high school, and a perfect target for Rozelle and her girl gang. His mother is dead, his father is long gone and his only remaining relative, his grandmother, is getting too sick to run her dry cleaning business. The only time Calvin feels in control is when he's working his yo-yo. When he takes up street performing, Rozelle demands a cut and insists on being his manager. To get media attention, she markets him as a yo-yo genius who can predict the future, dubbing him the "Yo-Yo Prophet." Calvin begins to believe his own hype, but as Gran's condition deteriorates, he realizes that it will take more than fame and adulation to keep his family intact.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Ninth grade is anything but easy for Calvin Layne. His father disappeared after his mother died, and for the past six years Calvin has lived with his ill grandmother, who frequently confuses him with his father and has suddenly decided to sell her dry cleaning shop, without a plan for their future. Teased at school for being small, Calvin finds comfort and strength in performing yo-yo tricks, and he begins to gain popularity for his unusual skill after he is mistaken for a street performer. His pushy schoolmate Rozelle muscles her way into being his manager, and soon Calvin is putting on shows, making money, and gaining a huge following online. But when Rozelle begins marketing him as the "Yo-Yo Prophet" and claiming he can predict the future (a few of his predictions are accurate), Calvin must finally stand up for himself. Krossing's (Pure) depictions of the many pressures Calvin is under, as well as his relationship with his grandmother, feel especially intimate and authentic. It's a clever and quiet coming-of-age story about developing confidence and doing what's right. Ages 12 up.
