First published 2021
The final bell rings at Latimer Middle School and ten students head home. Each child faces their own challenges on the walk through their neighborhood. Some kids worry about bullies. Others think about family problems waiting at home. A few students discover unexpected friendships along the way. One child deals with a school incident that happened earlier. Another struggles with fears about safety. The stories connect as the children cross paths on sidewalks and street corners. Each student must navigate the space between school and home where anything can happen. Reynolds shows how ordinary moments become significant when you pay attention to what kids really experience. The book reveals how much can change in the time it takes to walk a few blocks.
Genres: family-life, american-fiction, contemporary, adolescence, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, slice-of-life
Setting: Latimer Middle School
Period: 21st-century
229 pages · Paperback · Thorndike Striving Reader