Dough Boys

So Done #2

by Paula Chase

In the companion to her acclaimed So Done, Paula Chase follows best friends Simp and Rollie as their friendship is threatened by the pressures of basketball, upcoming auditions, middle school, and their growing involvement in the local drug ring.

Dough Boys is a memorably vivid story about the complex friendship between two African American boys whose lives are heading down very different paths. For fans of Jason Reynolds’s Ghost and Rebecca Stead’s Goodbye Stranger.

Deontae “Simp” Wright has big plans for his future. Plans that involve basketball, his best friend, Rollie, and making enough money to get his mom and four younger brothers out of the Cove, their low-income housing project.

Long term, this means the NBA. Short term, it means being a dough boy—getting paid to play lookout and eventually moving up the rungs of the neighborhood drug operation with Rollie as his partner.

Roland “Rollie” Matthews used to love playing basketball. He loved the rhythm of the game, how he came up with his best drumbeats after running up and down the court. But playing with the elite team comes with extra, illegal responsibilities, and Rollie isn't sure he's down for that life. The new talented-and-gifted program, where Rollie has a chance to audition for a real-life go-go band, seems like the perfect excuse to stop being a dough boy. But how can he abandon his best friend?

Paula Chase explores universal themes of friendship and budding romance, while also exploring complex issues that affect many young teens. Full of basketball, friendship, and daily life in a housing project, this universal story is perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds’s Track series, Jewell Parker Rhodes’s Ghost Boys, and Chris Crutcher.

Genres: Middle Grade, Sports, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult, Friendship, Contemporary, Fiction

336 pages, Hardcover

First published August 27, 2019

About the author

I'm a creature borne of pop culture. It's created a volatile mix of hope and cynicism within me that I help myself understand by putting my young characters through the world's paces.

I have a big heart for young readers. Young Adult and Middle Grade novels are my home.

And because no one lives in a vacuum, I co-founded The Brown Bookshelf to ensure that the spotlight on children's lit created by persons of color never dims.

Reviews

[Karen McKenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

While this story is an excellent companion to So Done, I also think it works as a stand alone story. I did read So Done, but even if I hadn't, I think I would enjoy this novel just as much. There are only a few references to Mila and Tai's story. Dough Boys follows best friends Simp and Rollie through basketball season with the Marauders, an elite basketball team in the Cove. Each chapter alternates points of view between the two boys, a really effective strategy for understanding the tensions and differences between two ballin best friends. The notice and note signpost Contrasts and Contradictions popped in my head a lot as I was reading.

Rollie has adults in his life who want nothing more for him than to stay out of trouble in their neighborhood. His grandma makes him play drums at church, his mom bugs him about his grades, and his Talented and Gifted percussion teacher Mr. B encourages him to "dream far and wide and stop worrying about the outcome of one single day" (a great Words of the Wiser moment). He is also an only child with only his own future to worry about. Rollie does, however, need to watch out for his best friend, Simp. As he begins to feel caught up in the Game he is not sure he wants to be a part of, he doesn't know how to reject a life of hustle to pursue bigger dreams without also rejecting his friend.

Deontae, nicknamed by the Cove Simp, was held back to 7th grade. The highlight of his life is winning another championship for his basketball team. Coach Tez has also trusted him to hustle in the real Game as a lookup for his drug operation. Simp hopes to move up in the operation and run a crew of his own someday. When his best friend starts missing practices and seems less loyal to the Game, Simp wonders how he will every accomplish his dreams without Rollie. Simp's only adult role models are his mother, who is encouraging him to get his younger brother into the drug business, and his coach, who is leading him to a path of drug dealing. He also has four younger brothers to provide for and look after. But the thought of his younger brothers getting in the Game leaves a sour taste in his mouth, leading to some powerful Tough Question moments.

Once again, Chase gives a powerful glimpse into life in the Cove. She handles topics like drugs, hormones, and puberty in careful, subtle ways so that her story is appropriate for middle grade students, yet important enough for everyone to read. Tension between two best friends and the tough choices they must make leads to a powerful climax and important ending.

Thank you so much for the ARC #LitReviewCrew was able to read!

[Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love love love the respect Paula Chase has for the social and emotional lives of middle school students and how she portrays them within a loving, complex community. Reminded me of the hundreds of Monday afternoons I spent with my library kids playing mancala, UNO, and video games, and how much was at stake for them every ding dang day.

Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC!

[Julie Jaeger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love a companion book that stands on its own!

[Kathie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Edelweiss+ and Greenwillow Books for an eARC of this book.

ALL THE STARS!! So Done was one of my favorite books last year, and Dough Boys will be on this year's list.

This story take place in the same location, with many of the same characters, but is told from the perspectives of Simp and Rollie. Both play on the basketball team in their neighborhood, but their coach is also a drug dealer. The two have been friends for many years, but Rollie's acceptance into a music program with TAG is giving him chance to see opportunities beyond what the coach has to offer. Simp wants Rollie to stick with him and rise to new levels with him, but he's also worried about watching his little brother, Dre, rise up the ranks right behind him. Both boys are trying to figure out what it is they want, together and apart, before decisions are made for them.

What I love best about this book how much I feel like I experience when it's told from two perspectives. Life for kids in this housing project is complex, and there are many factors pushing and pulling them in multiple directions. The author helps the reader feel empathy for the characters, and I feel like I learn so much that's real, but that many of us never get to see or understand about Black kids.

Highly recommended for upper middle grade readers

[Afoma (Reading Middle Grade) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paula Chase’s Dough Boys is an emotion-charged middle-grade novel about two boys navigating their changing friendship while caught up with a local drug ring. This novel is insightful, authentic, and powerful in its realistic depiction of life in a housing project and the challenges some teens face. If you loved So Done, there’s no reason to miss out on Dough Boys. And if you haven’t read So Done, just buy both books. Read my full review here.

I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review

[Emily Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Powerful.
This is a book that will stick with you. Simp and Rollie's story covers a lot of territories.
Friends
Drugs
family
coach
peers
Team
Loyalty
Empathy building, needed, and a tough read.

[Faloni © · Rating 5 out of 5]

haaa' you know 💎how 💎shit is. ‼️🌐

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

This companion novel to last year's So Done follows two boys, Rollie and Simp, who both play on the Marauders basketball team and assist Coach Tez with drug runs. Simp is mostly comfortable with his role in Tez's operation, and he is hoping to move up the chain of command and take on more responsibility. Rollie, on the other hand, has been working on his music since getting involved with the Talented and Gifted program, and he's starting to feel that he's spread himself too thin with music, basketball, and his "work" on the side. As basketball season wears on, these two friends find themselves in conflict as their priorities begin to run at cross purposes.

Whereas I wasn't bothered very much by the mature content in So Done (which includes reference to a sexual overture made by a grown man to a young girl), I had a much harder time with it in this book. I felt so disgusted with many of the adults in this story, seeing the ways they took advantage of young boys. Simp's mom, for example, is looking to get another of her sons involved with the drug business so she can increase her personal cash flow. Worse, the coach pretends to keep the boys out of trouble with basketball, but then sends them out to do his drug-related bidding without people like Rollie's kind and concerned grandmother ever being the wiser. Though the dangers of getting involved in selling drugs are made clear by the end of the book, not every character learns his lesson, and the story doesn't provide a lot of hope or instruction for getting out of the drug business without getting hurt.

I think the writing in this book was excellent, but I also can't imagine handing this book to my own kids when they are middle school age. I realize that the way of life portrayed in this book is real for kids in neighborhoods like the one depicted in this story, and maybe kids in that situation want to read books that reflect that experience. But I'm uncomfortable with the fact that there isn't a clear-cut resolution at the end with a definitive condemnation of drugs, and there were also some references to sexual arousal that felt inappropriate outside of YA. My kids are still little, and we are very much still in the mode of preserving innocence rather than promoting understanding of the problems of the adult world, so it's possible my opinion will change with time, but for now, this is a book I thoroughly enjoyed, but that I think is more likely to belong on another family's bookshelf rather than my own.

This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Chase’s So Done and was drawn in to her world and her characters. I was very excited about seeing another novel dealing with characters in the same neighborhood. Dough Boys is told from two perspectives and is all about doing what you feel is right, supporting family, friends v family, and chasing your dreams.

I received this book as part of my Lit Review Crew and review is my own.

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a powerful read... and for the clientele in my (private) school library, it is mostly going to be a window looking out into a world about which they have absolutely no clue (and to be honest, neither do I, in any meaningful and real sense.)

This is the companion novel to So Done (I want to read that now!) and it follows two friends, Rollie and Simp, who both play on the Marauders basketball team for their Coach Tez, who is also the local gang leader and drug runner. Part of being on The Team seems to involve working as lookout for the drug deals going down... with a view to working up the ranks in the gang.

Simp seems comfortable with his role in Tez's operation, and he excited when he is given the opportunity to move up the chain of command and take on more responsibility. He lives with his mum and four brothers and the extra money helps keep food on the table, and basketball shoes on his feet.
Rollie, on the other hand, is having second thoughts. He is a gifted drummer and he is aiming to get out of the drug, and basketball, scene. His mum and G-Ma are strict and he has boundaries at home that Simp does not. Throughout the story, this puts increasing pressure on their relationship.

We are also introduced to a wide range of other characters (a bit confusing at times) but I was completely fascinated with, and drawn in to, their various circumstances. None had it easy. All dealt with their lives in different ways.
It is sad to think that there are so many people out there who have to make tough choices, the likes of which people like me (and my students) don't even have to contemplate.
Should I continue working for the gangs, and earn some money, or try and make it out on my own? Should I risk my spot on The Team in order to protect my younger brother?
Should I try and rob the local drug dealer's HQ in order to get in with an opposition gang?

Honestly, we have NO idea. And stories like these are so important as they take us out of our comfort zone and make us realise that we all live in our own bubbles.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edelweiss+ provided me a DRC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great companion to So Done, though really I can see recommending to to students even if they haven't read Chases' first book. The characters are older in this one, and there are a few references to what Tai and Mila went through in So Done, but this one really focuses on Rollie and Simp and the challenges their friendship faces: new friends, changing interests, drug dealing, family struggles, girls, etc.

I had initally picked up So Done because I was looking for middle grade fiction with realistic African American voices. The fact that it focused on friendship (a huge middle school issue) was a bonus. I love that this companion tackles urban issues as well as male friendship. It's hard not to yell at the characters as they make dangerous choices, but it's also apparent (and heartbreaking at times) why those choices are made.

[Gretchen · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favorite part about this book is the story of friendship that it tells. Many times we think a specific friendship will always be the same over time but the truth is, friendships change over time just like we do. Sometimes friends pull apart a bit due to other interests or disagreements and sometimes we can't imagine being closer to anyone in the world than our friend. There are so many things in life that influence us in so many directions but somehow we can count on our friends in the toughest of times. I also liked this book as a window to a world that I've heard of but never experienced. The pressures that these characters face are alien to me and I appreciated being able to see things through their eyes to open mine a little wider even if I struggled to relate to much of it. The part that was the most difficult for me was the language itself. Many lines I had to read multiple times to understand what they meant and sometimes if I could get the gist of the meaning, I didn't try to figure it out exactly. It's not that there was anything wrong with the language, it is just that some of the words and the syntax is different than what I'm used to and I needed to make an extra effort just like anyone does when they try to understand something unfamiliar. I felt so strongly for the main characters by the end of the book that I knew it was well written to evoke those feelings.

[Dr. T Loves Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

What it's about: Book Two of the Cove series follows "Simp" and Rollie as they try to navigate the complexities of living in the Cove. The two best friends have been "dough boys" working for their basketball coach, serving as a lookout for police while the coach's other employees deal drugs.

His friends might think Simp isn't very smart, but he's just focused on making the right moves for himself. Simp has welcomed his involvement as a hustler; the money has allowed him to help out his mother with rent and groceries, as well as letting Simp get plenty of sharp sneakers. After a few years of working as a lookout, Simp thinks he is ready to move up to the next level.

Rollie has mixed feelings about working for Coach. While the money has come in handy a few times, he doesn't need it in order to get by, and having to sneak around his mother and grandmother so they don't know that he has it or what he's done to earn it has Rollie a bit shook. More importantly, Rollie is feeling time pressure - his involvement with the TAG program requires extra hours, as does his drum practice so he can stay in the program. Plus, his drumming teacher at TAG has some exciting opportunities that Rollie might take advantage of. But the hours spent practicing basketball and hustling, plus getting his regular school work finished, are making Rollie see that he has to make some choices about where he's going to spend his limited time.

When the boys' basketball team makes it to the Chesapeake Finals for an unprecedented sixth year, the tension gets ratched up. Simp is chosen as the team captain, but his joy is undercut by the attention Rollie seems to give to his new friend, Chris, who is part of the TAG program, while Simp is not. And Rollie is finding it more and more difficult to make it to practice on time, in addition to being more and more reluctant to continue as a dough boy.

As their interests come into conflict, so do the two friends. And they may not be able to walk away from the aftermath.

What I thought: Chase's So Done did a great job of bringing readers into the minds of two female middle school friends, and introduced readers to their world. It was wonderfully realized realistic fiction. This book continues that pattern.

Seeing the Cove from two new points of view adds further depth to the world these characters inhabit. And Simp and Rollie's diverging paths seem to capture some of the choices faced by kids who grow up in high poverty areas, where opportunities to move up in the world can be rare, and might lead teens down a dangerous path if they are not incredibly lucky.

Why I rated it like I did: This book is a wonderful follow-up to the first entry in the series. It could be a great stand-alone read; but having insight into the events of the first book provides readers with some extra ways of looking at this world. This is another great book that middle school libraries should keep on hand - it's engaging, enjoyable, and keeps readers guessing about how things are going to turn out.

[Grace Allyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up and put down this book down so many times, but then blew through the last quarter of it—and I’m so glad I kept giving it another chance. This was definitely a tough read at points and I found myself getting so annoyed with some characters. But it’s real life. Nothing was sugar coated or made to be a perfect world. Rollie and Simp both developed throughout the story and the ending was truly bittersweet. I loved following their friendship and seeing how their life was impacted by their environment. I’ve read very few other books that target the demographic of 8th-9th grade Black boys. All reader deserve to find their mirror in literature. (Mature topics: drugs, gun violence)

[Franchesca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review is of an ARE I won in a Goodreads giveaway.

Simp and Rollie are best friends, middle school boys playing basketball together and working for the local drug ring as a side hustle. Simp loves the game and Rollie just wants to play the drums. Forced to make decisions that will effect their futures and those closest to them the boys do their best to navigate their day-to-day lives in the inner city. A good story with a powerful message, although the dialect and lingo are not the way I normally speak and at times I had to reread sections where the grammar and language were not something I am exposed to regularly.

[Carli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Edelweiss and Harper Collins for the advance Kindle copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
•
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for this companion to So Done and I honestly loved it even more. This time, Simp and Rollie are in the spotlight as they navigate basketball and working for their coach as more than ballers. Rollie wants out of the game, but Simp is in deep. It takes a blow up for them to realize that the game doesn’t have to define their friendship, but that it will still change things between them. Highly recommended for all middle school readers, and it’s out 8/27/19.

[Suzanne Dix · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really didn't like this one, mostly because it made me feel uncomfortable (it was a struggle to follow the dialect and dialogue) and sad. What a world we live in when thirteen year olds:
*work for a drug dealer
*get shot
*feel the weight of the world on their shoulders to protect their younger siblings from drugs and gangs
*have to help pay the rent
*can't just be goofy middle schoolers

I skimmed most of the story and have the gist. I just wish this was a story I could recommend to my middle schoolers but to me it is too edgy.

Grades 8 and up.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe I’m not giving this 5/5 because I had hoped for a different ending. Not that it wasn’t a good ending—it just wasn’t the nice, neat, gift-wrapped ending I had wished for.

But for real, this book will definitely draw in reluctant readers (though it could’ve been a bit shorter as it got a little redundant at times). It definitely was eye-opening for me—gives me a lot to think about regarding biases I may have or assumptions I sometimes make. I really appreciated this perspective. I think it is an important read for educators.

[Lys · Rating 3 out of 5]

DOUGH BOYS is a tough read, but so, so important. All of the characters are so different and show an array of experiences. I think this can be read as a standalone, but I want to go back and read SO DONE just so I can get more of a feel for Tai and Mila. The voice in this book is resonant and consistent, and I think a lot of our older middle school readers will connect with it. I am always looking for older MG/younger YA books to hand to 7th-9th graders, and this is a great option for them!

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book-it’s just, something about the ending I just didn’t like. It was bittersweet to me, I might have looked over something in the book but I just didn’t like where the book ends off. I feel like the first book had the same problem, but it wasn’t as apparent. Anyways I might have given this a less generous 4 stars (instead of a 3.5) if I felt like there was more closure. I just feel some sort of sad feeling at the end of the book.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though I haven't read SO DONE yet, I really loved this stand-alone companion.

I was immediately pulled into the alternating narratives of Rollie and Simp—great friends, basketball teammates, neighbors in a low-income housing project, a part of the local drug operation, and middle school classmates.

I love how @thatpaulachase brings us on the journey each boy must take—each is filled with moments of heartache, joy, fear, and hope.

Highly recommend.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is told from the viewpoints of two urban middle-schoolers involved in basketball, music and the drug trade. It will appeal to middle grade readers for whom not much literature exists. Well-written, but does not have quite the emotional power of Jason Reynold's work ___although this sets a very high bar.

[Laurie]

A compassionate, necessary, and engrossing story about friendship, loyalty, and the very hard decisions 13-year-old kids sometimes have to make. I loved this book, which is a companion to SO DONE, which I also loved. I hope it reaches many, many kids who will see themselves in Rollie and Simp's stories.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such respect for the way this author brought me into a world and gave me a sense of being stuck (Rollie). Will definitely recommend to my middle schoolers. Lately I have realized how hungry my MS boys are for stories like this with sports, friendship, and real problems they may not have experienced.

[Izabella Burke]

I am currently reading this book. It is very interesting. I would recommend this book if you like basketball or music books. It is mainly about a single mom and her five sons. One of her sons has to make a decision that can impact his life and his family's. It reminds me of someone trying to decide which path they want to go on.

[Danielle Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the sequel to “So Done.” While “So Done” focuses on the relationship between Tai and Mila, “Dough Boys” focuses on the relationship between Simp and Rollie. I do feel like this one has a bit more mature content: most appropriate for upper middle school and high school students. (The characters are in the 8th grade). I enjoyed it!

[Dee Price · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two best friends from the hood - one aspiring to do better and the other one satisfied with the status quo. Forced to choose between loyalty and friendship, the decisions they make will impact everyone around them.

[Nora · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m surprised by how much I enjoyed this middle grade read. The portrayal of Black characters and Black communities seemed like the most real and authentic I’ve ever read in YA fiction. The story is tough yet tender. I’m left aching to know what happens next to Rollie and Simp!

[Namrata]

Okay. I NEED THIS BOOK.

[Written Melodies]

Review to come.