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by Diane C. Mullen

Genres: YA Coming of Age

Synopsis

Liam is a fourteen-year-old graffiti artist living in project housing in Minneapolis with his single mother and three younger siblings. When Liam’s estranged older brother coerces him to tag a graffiti symbol for a rival gang, Liam’s life is threatened. Due to his apathetic attitude in the classroom and on the baseball field, Liam’s private-school scholarship is also threatened. His mother decides to send him to Lake Michigan for the summer to live with her best friend, Kat, a sculptor and art teacher, Liam soon delves into the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Pablo Picasso, and his own personal aesthetics. He’s encouraged to consider his art seriously and how it might contribute to a greater community. Having to decide between staying with Kat and returning home to his siblings who need him, Liam’s story inspires him to reinvent himself for the better.

Release date: March 10, 2015

Publisher: Charlesbridge

Print pages: 208

Sample

“This isn’t fair.”
“I cannot do this right now. We’ve already talked about
all of this.”
“Actually, Mom, we didn’t talk about all of this. YOU told
me what your plan was for MY summer.”
“Let’s go.” Cop lifts his walkie-talkie. “This is your last
warning, lady.”
Want to scream. Why don’t you go to south Minneapolis,
where you’re actually needed, you piece of crap? Go to my
hood, where there’s always “suspicious activity.”
“Okay. We’ve got to go.” Mom’s hugging me. “I love
you, Liam.”
“Really?” Don’t send me away. Please.
“Send us some postcards,” Fiona says. Declan presses
his face against the window. Patrick stares straight ahead.
Mom’s eyes fill with tears. “This will be a good thing.”
Feel like a balloon that all the air just went out of.
She gets back in the minivan. Grinds it into gear. Leans
toward the passenger window. “See you in three months,
Liam.”
Shite. I give a pathetic wave to the little kids.