I really loved this book.it was heavy and gritty, dealing with gang violence, suicide, grief, and friendships. the language was beautiful and I felt strongly for the characters. The author did a great job of including all kinds of people that filled this community with real feeling. it looses a star for the multiple instances of fat phobia, which I have no tolerance for, especially in middle grade fiction. ( )

This book is a great book to have on your bookshelf as a teacher to create diversity and understanding in the classroom. I would recommend this book for 7th and 8th graders because there are some concepts that require more maturity in the book. The book follows a boy named Lolly who lives in the projects in Harlem, New York. Lolly is struggling to cope with the recent death of his older brother Jermaine, who was shot after joining a street crew. Lolly is now at the age where he can join a street crew so he has big decisions to make. Lolly is also a Lego enthusiast and interested in architecture, this helps him cop with his grief and guilt. At the end of the book Lolly comes to realization that that who you hang out with can change you, but your own choices define who you are. ( )

Intermediate
The story of a boy in Harlem grappling with his brother's death.
Beautiful, diverse characters and themes of creativity and friendship

Lolly is struggling with the grief of loosing his brother and pressures of others around him. He finds legos as a therapeutic safe avenue. I think this would be a book that is better for older kids, maybe 5th to 8th grader. My only caution is that there are some deep feelings in this book and I would be cautious who I recommend this too. ( )

Well, dang, there's a lot to unpack out of this book -- kind of a downer, to be honest, and kind of soaringly exciting hopeful, too. Lolly is grieving for his brother, Jermaine, shot in a club. He's trying to hang on to his friend Vega and to avoid joining a crew. His mother's girlfriend starts bringing him trash bags full of legos and from there his imagination and his buildings just take off. Inspiring, but harsh, harsh, the life in NYC poverty. ( )