Ruin Road
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
"My twin, Lamar, is a phenomenal innovative storyteller... A true king!" -- Tiffany D. Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of Grown and The Weight of Blood
Sometimes a little fear is a good thing...
Cade Webster lives between worlds. He's a standout football star at the right school but lives in the wrong neighborhood--if you let his classmates tell it. Everywhere but home, people are afraid of him for one reason or another. Afraid he's too big, too fast, too ambitious, too Black.
Then one fateful night, to avoid a dangerous encounter with the police, he ducks into a pawn shop. An impulse purchase and misspoken desire change everything when Cade tells the shopkeeper he wishes people would stop acting so scared around him, and the wish is granted...
At first, it feels like things have taken a turn for the better. But it's not just Cade that people no longer fear--it's everything. With Cade spreading this newfound "courage" wherever he goes, anything can happen. Fearless acts of violence begin to escalate in both his neighborhood and at school. With the right moves, and brave friends, Cade might have one -- and only one -- chance to save all he loves. But at what cost? After all, the devil's in the details.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Black high school senior and football star Cade Webster has his life mapped out: attend college on a sports scholarship, get drafted into the NFL, and use his resulting fame to vacate his family from their gang-run neighborhood in Virginia. After anonymous threats lead to football games being canceled and his father's cancer seemingly worsens, Cade's future feels uncertain. While purchasing a Super Bowl ring from a timid cashier at a pawn shop, Cade laments that he "wished everyone would stop acting so scared around me." Soon, people start behaving differently around Cade. It appears as if everyone has begun acting without fear; his shy friend Gabby isn't afraid to sing, and his father and younger sister leave for a vacation despite their previous reluctance. But when people start doing dangerous things, Cade must decide what he's willing to sacrifice to save his loved ones. This edge-of-the-seat thriller uses occult horror elements to explore racism, classism, family, and grief. Cade's struggle between wanting to save his friends and family while also securing his own future is gripping, making this a genre-bending adventure that will leave readers wanting more. Ages 12–up.
