When We Wuz Famous

Gr 9 Up—Francisco, a promising high school student and talented basketball player, is sure he can rise above his limited options in Spanish Harlem when he is granted a scholarship to attend an elite, upstate boarding school. Pressure builds as he struggles to remain true to himself and his background in this strange new environment, and he finds that escaping his past isn't easy when he still has ties back home. Within the book's first few pages, readers know that the story ends with someone being shot dead, and the murder mystery drives the plot. The series of bad decisions that spirals into tragedy is revealed through multiple perspectives, including that of Francisco, his devoted girlfriend, Reignbow, and his troubled best friend, Vincent. This novel is based on the author's award-winning movie, Up with Me (2008), and the prose is reminiscent of a screenplay: straightforward, with an engaging sense of immediacy. Complex issues such as friendship, loyalty, identity, and class disparity are explored in varying depth. An occasionally meandering plot and extraneous characters dilute the story's overall impact, but the characters' constant strife will keep teens interested. The true star of the show is perhaps the setting: Spanish Harlem is painted vividly, with harshness and beauty intertwined. Teens will appreciate the hopeful yet ambiguous ending; Takoudes chooses authenticity over a pat resolution and doesn't downplay the consequences of regrettable choices. Purchase where urban fiction is popular.—Allison Tran, Mission Viejo Library, CA