ARTBA 2021 discussion

PLEASE READ ALL BOOKS AS YOUR TEEN SELF - NOT YOUR ADULT SELF.
What did you think about this book? Did you enjoy it? Why or why not? Do you think it would appeal to teens?
Please provide a score for this book based on a rating scale of 1-5 (1--you hated it; 5--you loved it). THIS IS NOT YOUR OFFICIAL VOTE!

It was a good read. I liked reading this from the perspective of Maverick as a young man becoming a teen father and sticking around to raise his son. And then making tough choices to provide for his family. How easy it could be to slip into the roles his friends are taking and the quick money he could make but having a strong male role model in his life who forced him to make the hard choices.

Overall, this book wasn't as strong or as compelling to me as Angie Thomas' other novels, but it was still a great book. Would appeal to all readers.
3.5/5

4/5 I felt myself wishing again and again that Maverick would make the right choices! His choices were hard and with the help of family and friends you know he will make it work. I loved the surprise baby name at the end of the book. This is an excellent and fast read. I recommend to all readers.

4/5. This was an excellent prequel to the formidable The Hate U Give. I found myself cheering for Maverick, as he made a series of complicated choices that made him into the man he was in T.H.U.G. This was a great book, and would appeal to teens as a companion to the much loved T.H.U.G. Concrete Rose was not as good as its companion text, but it was still well done, and was on my shelf One Day before it went home with a student.

4/5 - Not as good as THUGX and I don’t think it will have the same impact in the classroom, but this was still a great prequel.

I loved this book. It made me want to read The Hate You Give all over again. I absolutely think it should make the list. It was neat to see what grownups from one story be teens in another. I think that helps remind us we were all kids once, and no one just gets where they are over night. 5/5