First published 1991
Roger is thirteen and stuck with parents who can't be counted on. The year is 1910, and his family scrapes by in the worst part of a major city. The streets are dangerous, but Roger knows how to navigate them. When he gets mixed up with a gang that breaks into houses, he thinks he's found his place. These aren't ordinary thieves. They kill without hesitation when things go wrong. Roger watches them work and learns their methods. He starts to see himself as one of them. But as he gets deeper into their world, he uncovers something about his own father that changes everything he thought he knew. The discovery forces Roger to question not just his family, but his own choices and where they're leading him.
Genres: fiction, family, 20th-century, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, family-secrets, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Major City
Period: 1910
181 pages · Hardcover · Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Content warnings: violence