Li'l J can't see any way out of the downward spiral of his life. His mother is a sickly alchoholic. He's not allowed to see his baby son. He spends time like a lot of the other young men he sees in Harlem, just hanging out, passing time, selling drugs. Occasionally he does heroin to escape the "hole" he's in. When a drug deal to an undercover cop ends badly, Li'l J escapes to an abandoned apartment building where he meets an unusual man named Kelly. Kelly is watching a television that not only shows what's happening on the street but plays out scenes from Li'l J's past and possibly near future. As Li'l J hides out, he and Kelly talk about what went wrong with J's life. The messages of change and taking responsibility and that life doesn't always come easy are strongly implied but when the book ends it's not certain if Li'l J got the message. Some kids might be confused by the magical realism but with the right group leader, a book discussion could be really fruitful. Author Myers manages to maintain a street-smart tone without relying on obscenities, although at moments the slangy talk seems forced or dated. ( )

I would not recommend this book to my friends. I honestly thought it had potential, but there was just way too much space between any action so I quickly lost interest and some parts became extremely confusing. 3Q3P The cover art is okay and if I were to recommend it to anyone it'd be high school students. I chose to read this book because the title was interesting. BenA

When a Drug Deal Goes Bad

Dope Sick by Walter Dean Myers is about an 18 year old who gets into a drug deal with a friend. But the drug deal goes south and his life will never be the same.

Lil’ J is asked by a buddy named Rico if he needed a little cash. Lil’ J agrees and finds himself frisking an under cover cop who was trying to bust their deal. They handcuff him to a pole but in a panic Rico shoots the cop. Lil’ J finds himself in a big game of hide and seek and cops are hot on his trail after they catch Rico. He finds an abandoned warehouse where he meets a boy named Kelly. Through Lil’ J’s thoughts they watch his life through Kelly’s TV. They try to find the one thing Lil’ J wants to change but finds himself thinking of suicide. The ending is one you will never see coming.

This fast pace book will keep you on your toes until the very end. This book is one of my favorites because it is on real life and tells what happens if you join the wrong crowd. I like how the author puts it in a first person perspective because you get to hear what Lil’ J is thinking through this whole event. This book is not like any book I have read before. This book really lets you see into the life of troubled teens and young adults in America today. ( )

This book is about a boy whose name is Lil' J. He has been accused for killing a cop, but his buddy Rico killed him. Lil' J has been hiding from the cops in an abandoned building. He met a guy in the building named Kelly. Now he a has a magic TV. He shows Lil' J the past of his life and the future. Lil' J has been doing drugs and have not been doing that well in school either. He has a lot going on in his life. His mom has been sick and taking drugs. Also his girlfriend had gotten pregnant and had a little boy named Brian. Lil' J has been dope sick, and is trying to find out a way to get out of the building without getting caught.

I think this book is really good. It may be a bad influence on kids, but its telling some people on how they live. They don't know what to do when their life is like that. People have been having kids younger and younger and now the main character is father. But he is in a really bad place. He hasn't been doing well in school or at home. ( )

Lil' J Dance, on the lam after accidentally shooting a cop, has a second chance to re-do his life. He stumbles into an abandoned building and finds a street person, Kelly, watching a TV that replays the last 24 hours of Lil J's life. The street language is spot-on and its message of making 'better' choices will resonate with teen readers. ( )