“When you’re a little kid in Harlem, you can pretty much go anywhere and do anything as long as you’re careful.  But when you start to get old–about my age, twelve–things start to change.”

Lolly is finding it hard to be without his older brother Jermaine who was shot at a nightclub in the Bronx. Navigating his world has become more complicated with this rock that sits in his chest.  When his mom’s girlfriend gives him to huge bags of Legos, Lolly finds distraction in building a huge city. But he still needs to figure out how to live his life in Harlem without Jermaine and where he and his best friend, Vega are continually harassed by older crews on the street.

Soccer-obsessed Nick Hall seems to have everything going for him this eighth-grade year.  His traveling soccer team has been invited to play in the Dr. Pepper Dallas Cup, a premiere youth tournament. His best friend, Cody’s team has been invited as well.  Nick has become a wordsmith in his Honors English class, most likely because his dad makes Nick read and learn words from the dictionary that he has written. And, April, a young lady that Nick has been admiring, seems to have mutual feelings for him.  But suddenly everything changes, and Nick is struggling to hold on to normal.  With the help of his best friend, The Mac Librarian, and his parents, Nick finds his new normal.

Mr. Charles gave Ghost (Castle Crenshaw) a copy of the Guinness World Records and told him that someday he can be the greatest at something.  Ghost is a fast runner.  His survival has depended on that, but his speed gets noticed when Ghost challenges one of the fastest runners on the local Defenders track team.  Coach notices this young man in high tops and jeans matching his best stride for stride.  Coach recruits Ghost to become a member of the team, but will Ghost be able to commit to the hard work of training, staying out of trouble, and keeping his grades up at school?