Gateway Readers' Award Nominees

The Blogs: 2008-09

Rooftop

by Paul Volponi 

Booklist starred (April 15, 2006 (Vol. 102, No. 16)

After Clay makes some poor choices, his parents enroll him in a drug program and day school for teens, and now he is clean and studying for the GED. Then his first cousin, Addison, is admitted to the same program, where the childhood buddies reconnect. Drug-dealer Addison may have been "into shit on the streets,"but Clay finds much to admire in his cousin, who is confident, funny, and caring. Their reunion is cut short when Addison is killed by a cop on a project rooftop, with Clay as a witness. Here Volponi's intimate, detailed story of the challenges facing poor, urban youth swells to encompass broader racial and political realities: Addison was a black teen killed by a white officer, and the ensuing investigation becomes a focus for activists protesting the arguably corrupt justice system. Under pressure, Clay lies about Addison's role in the shooting. He cannot undo the lie, but he begins to seek redemption in smaller ways. Despite some overdone symbolism, this thoughtfully crafted, deceptively simple story knits together a high-interest plot, a readable narrative crackling with street slang, and complex personal and societal issues that will engage teen readers.

Kirkus Review (June 1, 2006)

Clay arrives at his special drug treatment center/high school one morning to discover his estranged cousin Addison has joined the program. Since their mothers' rift, the boys have spent no time together, and Clay's cautious renewal of their friendship gradually builds with the knowledge that Addison has no intention of dropping his dealing, much less his addictions. Teachers, students and the families seem fairly ordinary until tragedy strikes, with Clay becoming a pawn in the politics and grief of those around him. Trying to save Darrell, Addison's younger brother becomes the impetus for Clay to face his own bogeymen the same way he takes on the menacing neighborhood dog that has been terrifying him almost daily. Less cynical than Volponi's first novel, Black and White (2005), this is still discussable for its handling of moral choices and the evasion of responsibility by our society's need to reduce everything to fit our preconceptions. The symbolism is a little too obvious and the characters somewhat stock, but this second work follows closely in the steps of the first. (Fiction. YA)

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