Up in Smoke

Gr 8 Up–Gr 8 Up–Multihyphenate author/filmmaker/rapper Brooks undeniably reflects his celluloid experience with a cinematic murder mystery set in Brooks’s native Washington, DC, complete with enhancing soundscapes, including helicopter blades and buzzing cellphones. That two Hollywood actors make their audiobook debuts here seems fitting, taking turns voicing the he said/she said solution team. Still reeling from his mother’s death, Cooper (brash, concerned Joseph) relies much more on his big-brotherly relationship with Jason, even if that means occasionally doing the wrong thing. One bad decision—carrying Jason’s stolen loot during a BLM protest—triggers life-changing consequences when a protestor is murdered and Jason is arrested for the crime. Jason’s sister Monique (confident, determined Sousa, especially affecting when she performs Mo’s resonating poetry) knows her brother is innocent. Coop joins his forever crush to clear Jason’s name—and hopefully his own.