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Nothing is like it used to be. If it were, Mama would still be alive. Papa wouldn't have died. Thirteen-year-old Lafayette's older brother, Charlie wouldn't have done time at a correctional facility. And oldest brother Ty'ree would have gone to college instead of having to work full time to support the three of them. If things were the same, Lafayette wouldn't be so full of questions, like why Mama had to die, why Charlie hates him so much now, and how they're all supposed to survive these times together when so much seems to be set against them.
This is the story of three remarkable young men; brothers who have only each other to rely on and who must decide whether they'll work with that or let it tear them apart.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Awards
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Release date
December 26, 2006 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780739348246
- File size: 71260 KB
- Duration: 02:28:27
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Languages
- English
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Levels
- ATOS Level: 4.3
- Lexile® Measure: 660
- Interest Level: 4-8(MG)
- Text Difficulty: 3
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Reviews
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Lafayette has to share his bedroom with the older brother he calls "New Charlie." Seems like the brother he knew and loved didn't come back from his stretch in the reformatory. This guy is more like a stranger than a brother. But now that Mama's dead, being able to stay in their NYC apartment with oldest brother Ty'ree hinges on whether or not Charlie can stay out of trouble. It might look grim for this family, but there's a lot of heart and warmth in this reading by Dulé Hill. Hill, who ironically plays a young man named Charlie on the TV drama "The West Wing," brings all three brothers to life in a low-key, boys-in-the-'hood performance that lets listeners feel the pain without ever losing hope. M.C. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine -
Starred review from September 10, 2001
Currently riding high with a role in TV's The West Wing, actor Hill's hip reputation and powerful performance here are a perfect match for Woodson's affecting novel about three orphaned African-American brothers struggling to stay together and survive on their own in contemporary New York City. Hill narrates as sensitive, 13-year-old Lafayette, youngest of the three siblings, who is trying to cope with the stresses that often overwhelm him. He's still haunted by the memories of finding his mother Milagro, or Miracle, dead from illness, and confused by the evil actions of middle brother Charlie, recently released from a juvenile detention center. As a stabilizing, caring force, oldest brother Ty'ree works hard to hold the family together in the face of great personal sacrifice. Woodson's realistic situations and dialogue are given even more resonance via Hill's comfortable delivery. And her message of love and hope winning out shines through loud and clear when Hill rises to the emotional, but never sappy, conclusion. Ages 10-14. -
December 3, 2001
Seventh-grader Lafayette fears that he will become separated from his two brothers after the death of their mother. "Viewing household tensions through Lafayette's eyes, readers will come to realize each character's internal conflicts and recognize their desperate need to cling together as a family," said PW. Ages 12-up. -
April 24, 2000
Once again, Woodson (If You Come Softly; From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun) reveals a keen understanding of the adolescent psyche via the narration of a winning seventh-grader. Lafayette, whose mother has recently died, is worried that some day he will be separated from his two older brothers: high-school-graduate Ty'ree, who gave up a scholarship to MIT to take care of his younger siblings; and Charlie, the rebellious middle boy, who, after spending more than two years in a correctional facility, has returned home cold and tough. (Lafayette calls him "Newcharlie," because his brother, with whom he was once so close, now seems unrecognizable to him.) Viewing household tensions and hardships through Lafayette's eyes, readers will come to realize each character's internal conflicts and recognize their desperate need to cling together as a family. The boys' loyalties to one another are tested during a cathartic climax, though it is resolved a bit too easily, and Lafayette's visions of his mother aren't fully developed or integrated into the plot. Gang violence and urban poverty play an integral part in this novel, but what readers will remember most is the brothers' deep-rooted affection for one another. An intelligently wrought, thought-provoking story. Ages 10-up.
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