A young city boy, riding the subway, finds an abandoned book about redwoods. He finds himself in the very forest described in the book. After finishing the book, he leaves it for someone else to read.

Tow-Kaye just learned that the love of his life is pregnant--and though he knows what the right thing to do is, he's scared to death to do it. Jeffrey hates having a mom who dresses like a teenager, but when another sexy mom moves in next door--well, that's a different kind of problem. In these and twenty-two other short stories and poems, readers plumb the inner lives of African American teenage boys.

When thirteen-year-old Logan and his family move into a run-down old house in rural Virginia, he discovers that a woman was murdered there and becomes involved with his neighbor Arthur in a dangerous investigation to try to uncover the killer.

Three more stories of Martin's plans unravelling. This time, his school is having a parade, the illustrator of his favorite comic book will be visiting his classroom, and will show him and his classmates how to draw Zip Rideout.

A fourteen-year-old boy attempts to be the youngest person to reach the top of Mount Everest.

"Funny, outrageous things didn't stop for Jordan Sonnenblick after he left fourth grade. No, in many ways the events detailed to hilarious effect in The Boy Who Failed Show and Tell were but a prelude to sixth grade, a time when Jordan would have to deal with a rival named Jiminy (his real name is Jimmy -- but, hey, he looks like a cricket), a stickler English teacher who doesn't care that all the old, worn copies of Great Expectations smell like...

The victim of a vicious assault, seventeen-year-old Corbin struggles to get his life back and deal with the loss of his best friend.

For most boys in a small Mississippi town, the biggest concern one hot summer is whether their annual July 4th baseball game will be canceled due to their county's anniversary pageant, but after the death of the old man to whom twelve-year-old star pitcher House Jackson has been secretly reading for a year, House uncovers secrets about the man and the history of baseball in Aurora County that could fix everything.

"Whether it's jumping in puddles with Tata in the rain, greeting the neighborhood cat on the quiet back streets with Gogo, or holding hands with Mama while rushing to make the bell, walking to school with family is the best. But nothing is better than walking to school with Papa. From high above, resting on Papa's shoulders, all of the town is in perfect view, and Papa always says 'I love you' when he says goodbye. A sweet ode to fatherhood and the...