Secret Saturdays
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
Read Torrey Maldonado's posts on the Penguin Blog and the new Penguin Community.
A poignant look into one fatherless twelve-year-old’s struggles with friendship and trust.
Sean is Justin’s best friend, at least Justin thought he was. But lately Sean has been acting differently. Sean’s been telling lies, getting into trouble at school, and hanging out with a tougher crowd, even getting into fights. This isn’t like Sean at all.
When Justin finally discovers that Sean’s been secretly going to visit his father in prison and is dealing with the shame of that, Justin wants to do something to help before his friend spirals further out of control. But what if confronting Sean means Justin loses his very best friend? In the end, he decides it doesn’t matter; he’s got to man up.
Set in one of New York’s most dangerous neighborhoods, Secret Saturdays is an affecting read highlighted by strong characters and an authentic, heartening voice.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Sixth-graders Justin and Sean have been best friends since fourth grade and have a lot in common: raised in Brooklyn projects by their mothers, they're both half black/half Puerto Rican and share a love of rapping. So when Sean starts sneaking away with his mother on Saturday morning trips and increasingly acting like a bully, Justin feels a rift forming. Debut author Maldonado convincingly portrays roughneck playgrounds where boys are expected to be hard, and to is or get dissed on. Justin's narration resonates with the authenticity of a preteen doing his best in an urban landscape that has taught him all he knows: It sucks not having a father or uncle, because I see boys out here playing football and doing things with their dads and uncles. I have to do that stuff with my mother. Which is cool. But kind of gay too. There are some heavy-handed moments a TV talk show about male emotions helps Justin decide to speak with Sean about his feelings but the book remains a moving portrayal of the hope to be found through honest relationships. Ages 10 up.
