Additional information
by G. Neri (Author), David Brame (Illustrator)
From Coretta Scott King Honor-winning author of Yummy G. Neri comes an epic journey across the South Side of Chicago for Darius, his little sister Cissy, and his best friend Booger as they set out to find an armored truck that has lost a payload of cash.
Thirteen-year-old Darius is going through a rough time. It's almost been a year since a terrible act of violence took the life of his mother and left him with a wound both in his leg and in his heart. With his stepdad out of work; his little sister, Cissy, always on his case; and the looming prospect of foreclosure on their house, he feels his world closing in on him.
But Darius's best friend, Booger, has a plan. A Brinks armored truck has crashed on a nearby highway and money is blowing everywhere. If they can get across town and back safely, they just might get rich! But to do it, they need to cross through some of the most dangerous streets in Chicago, staying ahead of the gangs that rule those neighborhoods.
Before long, their adventures blow up on social media as Booger documents their search for riches, and everyone is after them. Can they get home without falling victim to the violence of the streets? Sometimes, on the streets of Chicago, there is no Safe Passage.
Back Jacket
Chicago, South Side: A place where kids can't be kids due to rampant gang violence, and a program called Safe Passage has been set up just to get them to school every day alive. Crossing four different gang territories to get to class is, for Darius and his little sister Cissy, like running the gauntlet for a 13-year-old put in charge of his little sis. Step off the path at your own peril, warns his dad. But when Darius's best friend Booger hears a rumor that a Brink's truck has crashed on the interstate, the boys, followed by Cissy, ditch school and set out to find a lost bundle of cash that will save Darius's family from eviction and bring riches to them all. A lot of things can happen between sunrise and sunset on the South Side, and they're about to find out that getting home alive isn't guaranteed when online rumors start flying that they're carrying treasure. Safe Passage. Never wander off the path.
Author Biography
G. Neri is an award-winning author, including a Michael L. Printz Award for his contribution to The Collectors anthology as well as an Eisner nomination and Coretta Scott King Honor for Yummy: the Last Days of a Southside Shorty. He has written many books for young people, including Ghetto Cowboy, which was made into the movie Concrete Cowboy, starring Idris Elba, debuting at #1 on Netflix. His books have been translated into multiple languages in more than 25 countries. In 2023, he was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from SUNY for his literary output. Mr. Neri lives on the Gulf coast of Florida. For more information, visit gneri.com.
David Brame is the Eisner-nominated comic artist of After the Rain, whose art for the graphic novel was hailed as "bold and arresting" by Publishers Weekly. He was also a contributor to the graphic novel anthology Young Men In Love: A Queer Romance Anthology, which earned the GLAAD Award for Outstanding Graphic Novel or Anthology and the American Library Association's award for Great Graphic Novel for Teens. David lives in Alaska with his three dogs. For more information, visit his Instagram @amazingdavidbrame.
