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Knopf Books for Young Readers
July 2015
On Sale: July 14, 2015
352 pages
ISBN: 0375847073
EAN: 9780375847073
Kindle: B00ONUVQKQ
Hardcover / e-Book
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Young Adult | Contemporary
The summer of 1983 was the summer hip-hop proved its staying power. The South Bronx is steeped in Reaganomics, war in the Middle East, and the twin epidemics of crack and AIDS, but Raymond Γ’β¬ΕSmilesΓ’β¬Β King and Guillermo Γ’β¬ΕNikeΓ’β¬Β Vega have more immediate concerns. Smiles was supposed to be the assistant crew chief at his summer camp, but the director chose Cookie Camacho instead, kicking off a summer-long rivalry. Meanwhile, the aspiring b-boy Nike has set his wandering eye on Sara, the sweet yet sassy new camp counselor, as well as top prize at a breakdancing competition downtown. The two friends have been drifting apart ever since Smiles got a scholarship to a fancy private school, and this summer the air is heavy with postponed decisions that will finally be made. Raw and poignant, this is a story of music, urban plight, and racial tension thatΓ’β¬β’s as relevant today as it was in 1983.
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