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4.42 AVERAGE
4.42 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Just phenomenal. I'm so glad Thomas decided to give us Maverick's story. As I said with The Hate U Give, Thomas writes books about Black teens for Black teens. This book portrays the stark realities of being a parent (specifically the challenges of being a teen parent), and it also provides sympathetic insight into why a poor teenager in the city might belong to a gang and sell drugs, but in neither case does it feel like the book was written around an Agenda. For example, it might make a teenager think twice about having unprotected sex, but it should also provide an empathetic mirror for teen parents who pick it up. And Maverick just feels like a teenage boy — trying his best to figure out who he is and making stupid decisions along the way but ultimately attempting to be guided by the values he's been taught by his community (a challenging mission when he's getting conflicting messages from different sources).
It was also just delightful to read this as a prequel to The Hate U Give because of all the sly foreshadowing Thomas sneaks in. (And I loved the brief crossover with Dear Martin!) She also takes advantage of this being set two decades ago to make some subtle jokes (like Mav saying he might open a music store since tapes and CDs aren't going away!). I'm six years younger than Mav so I was in middle school during the time period covered in this book but I still appreciated the late '90s references, for which Thomas thankfully used restraint — I get irritated when authors overdo it with the year-specific references. This is already an excellent book in its own right, but the many Easter eggs for readers of the original book and/or '90s kids made it that much more delightful.
One other aspect I appreciated about this book was that Thomas includes practical parenting advice, like how to burp a baby and the importance of tummy time, through the advice Mav gets from older adults and from the parenting books he reads. It was a subtle way to ensure that teens who read the book, should they find themselves with a child and without adult support and advice, have some foundational information on caring for a child.
This made me want to go back and reread The Hate U Give for details I'd forgotten; for example, we never get to find out exactly what fall Mav took for King that let him out of the gang (and I can't remember how much that's detailed in the original book). This was a fantastic prequel and I hope many readers of the original book will pick it up! I highly recommend the audiobook, narrated by the excellent Dion Graham.
It was also just delightful to read this as a prequel to The Hate U Give because of all the sly foreshadowing Thomas sneaks in. (And I loved the brief crossover with Dear Martin!) She also takes advantage of this being set two decades ago to make some subtle jokes (like Mav saying he might open a music store since tapes and CDs aren't going away!). I'm six years younger than Mav so I was in middle school during the time period covered in this book but I still appreciated the late '90s references, for which Thomas thankfully used restraint — I get irritated when authors overdo it with the year-specific references. This is already an excellent book in its own right, but the many Easter eggs for readers of the original book and/or '90s kids made it that much more delightful.
One other aspect I appreciated about this book was that Thomas includes practical parenting advice, like how to burp a baby and the importance of tummy time, through the advice Mav gets from older adults and from the parenting books he reads. It was a subtle way to ensure that teens who read the book, should they find themselves with a child and without adult support and advice, have some foundational information on caring for a child.
This made me want to go back and reread The Hate U Give for details I'd forgotten; for example, we never get to find out exactly what fall Mav took for King that let him out of the gang (and I can't remember how much that's detailed in the original book). This was a fantastic prequel and I hope many readers of the original book will pick it up! I highly recommend the audiobook, narrated by the excellent Dion Graham.
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Maverick, 17 is trying to navigate his circumstances the best way he knows how. He gets news that he is a father & has to adjust the best way he knows how. A tragedy occurs and his close cousin is no longer around and Maverick begins to spiral. He then learns that he will be a father again. Now, two kids with two different women, grieving the loss of his cousin, failing in school, & seeking revenge for his cousin… Maverick is a train wreck waiting to happen!
Mr. Wyatt was the beacon of light for him… a chance to think beyond his current circumstances and be someone for himself, and his children. Maverick simply needed to believe in himself.
This was delightful. Maverick’s story is as compelling as Starr’s was in THUG. Angie Thomas has created a complicated and endearing character. I would love to read where his story goes next.
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A perfect companion to The Hate U Give! I usually am not big on prequels, but Angie Thomas balanced the story perfectly.
I didn't love this like I loved THUG; the situations seemed less complex and the plot was less interesting, but wow, Thomas can write a character like no one else.
Angie Thomas did her thing once again! Excellent read. With all odds against Maverick you wonder how he will ever make it, but with the encouragement of some amazing people in his life ain’t no doubt he will end up on top!
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Gun violence, Violence, Pregnancy
Minor: Sexual content