Hip-Hop High School

by Alan Lawrence Sitomer

Overview

Theresa Anderson is every kind of smart: too smart-mouthed for her own good, street smart enough to deal with a neighborhood that gets more dangerous every day, and more book smart than anyone knows. But with the example of her super-achieving older brother towering above her, Theresa hasn't even been trying. How can a girl compete against the family favorite, especially when he's a certified local hero? With her parents and her teachers always on her case, and her best friend pregnant and dropped out of school, Theresa turns to hip-hop for comfort. Her favorite singers seem to understand her when no one else does.

Everything changes when a new man comes into Theresa's life: Devon, whose tough-guy reputation conceals a blazing ambition for academic success. Devon helps Theresa face up to her own talent and ambition, and together they set off on a three-year quest to beat the SAT and get into top colleges. But then Devon gets shot in a street fight, leaving Theresa with two piles of unfinished college applications-her own and Dev's-and time running out. . . .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781423106449
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	04/01/2007
Edition description:	Reissue
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x 1.00(d)
Lexile:	HL720L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Alan Lawrence Sitomer is an English teacher in an inner-city school in Los Angeles. He was selected Teacher of the Year in the state of California in 2003 and 2005. He is the author of The Hoopster (Jump at the Sun, 2005), Homeboyz (Jump at the Sun, 2006), and Hip-hop Poetry and the Classics.

Editorial Reviews

Teresa Anderson, who is called “T.A.,” has many obstacles to overcome in order to fulfill her dream of attending USC. At the inner-city school she attends, T.A. has to deal with irresponsible peers. In the neighborhood she almost loses a dear friend to a drive-by shooting. Her relationship with her mother is strained, and she feels she has to fill the shoes of her older brother, who attends Stanford. Narrator Sisi Aisha Johnson brings T.A.'s challenges to life in a heartfelt and accessible style. She manages the teen lingo and T.A.'s thoughts admirably. Though some of the dialogue seems forced, the listener is treated to an uplifting story of a teenager who triumphs despite the odds. M.R.P. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

JUN/JUL 08 - AudioFile