New Releases by Sharon Flake

Guys and girls get together, get played, and get real. Who Am I Without Him? is a Booklist Top Ten Romance Novel for Teens and is "breaking new and necessary ground"* in twelve short stories about guys and girls falling in and out of love and relationships, testing out ways to communicate with one another, respect each other--and respect themselves. This is a complex, often humorous, and always on-point exploration of today''s teens determined to find love and self-worth . . . any way they know how. Note: this is potentially going to be in a bind-up with YOU DON''T EVEN KNOW ME.

Bang! Guns really sound like that, you know. Bang! And people bleed from everywhere, and blood is redder than you think. And little kids look funny in caskets. That''s ''cause they ain''t meant to be in one, I guess. Mann is only thirteen, yet he has already had to deal with more than most go through in a lifetime. His family is still reeling from the tragic shooting death of his little brother, Jason, each person coping with grief in his or her own way. Mann''s mother has stopped eating and is obsessed with preserving Jason''s memory, while his father is certain that presenting a hard edge is the only way to keep his remaining son from becoming a statistic. Mann used to paint and ride horseback, but now he''s doing everything he can to escape his emotions: getting involved in fights at school, joyriding at midnight, and much worse. His father, at his wit''s end, does the only thing he thinks will teach his son how to be a man: he abandons him and his friend Kee-Lee in the woods, leaving them to navigate their way home, alone. Now Mann, struggling to find his way back to civilization, must also reconcile himself to the realities of a world that has stolen his little brother, and that isn''t even sure it still wants Mann in it. One wrong turn and it could all be over for him, too. Bang.

Maleeka suffers every day from the taunts of the other kids in her class. If they''re not getting at her about her homemade clothes or her good grades, it''s about her dark, black skin. When a new teacher, whose face is blotched with a startling white patch, starts at their school, Maleeka can see there is bound to be trouble for her too. But the new teacher''s attitude surprises Maleeka. Miss Saunders loves the skin she''s in. Can Maleeka learn to do the same?

In 9 stories and 15 poems, Sharon G. Flake provides insight into the minds of a diverse group adolescent African American males. here''s Tow-Kaye, getting married at age 16 to love of his life, who''s pregnant. He knows it''s the right thing to do, but he''s scared to death. James writes in his diary about his twin brother''s terrible secret, which threatens to pull James down, too. Tyler explains what it''s like to be a player with the ladies. In a letter to his uncle, La''Ron confesses that he''s infected with HIV. Eric takes us on a tour of North Philly on the Fourth of July, when the heat could make a guy go crazy. Still, he loves his hood. These and other unforgettable characters come to life in this collection of urban male voices. Sharon''s G. Flake''s talent for telling it like it is will leave readers thinking differently, feeling deeply, and definitely wanting more.

Guys and girls get together, get played, and get real. Who Am I Without Him? is a Booklist Top Ten Romance Novel for Teens and is "breaking new and necessary ground" in twelve short stories about guys and girls falling in and out of love and relationships, testing out ways to communicate with one another, respect each other -- and respect themselves. This is a complex, often humorous, and always on-point exploration of today''s teens determined to find love and self-worth . . . any way they know how. Note: this is potentially going to be in a bind-up with You Don''t Even Know Me.

The mesmerizing story of one girl''s struggle to break her family''s cycle of poverty is reissued with an arresting new cover. Thirteen-year-old Raspberry Hill is starved for money. She will do just about anything legal to get her hands on the almighty dollar -- wash cars, sell rotten candy, skip lunch, clean houses. She is obsessed. She is driven. She is afraid. Memories of being homeless, sleeping in the streets, and eating handouts keep Raspberry''s eye on the only prize that matters to her: cold, hard cash. When the green stuff greases her palm, she gets comfort from feeling its crinkly paper power. And, when money is your best friend, there''s more to do than hold it. Raspberry kisses her cash. She smells it. She loves it. But even money can''t answer the questions that keep Raspberry awake at night. Will she and Momma ever move out of the projects? What did Ja''nae do with the two hundred bucks Raspberry loaned her? And what''s really going on with Momma and that rich doctor? A haunting story of greed and forgiveness by the award-winning author of The Skin I''m In, this unforgettable novel will keep you glued to every page. Bank on it.

Mann is only thirteen, yet he has already had to deal with more than most go through in a lifetime. His family is still reeling from the tragic shooting death of his little brother, Jason, each person coping with grief in his or her own way. Mann''s mother has stopped eating and is obsessed with preserving Jason''s memory, while his father is certain that presenting a hard edge is the only way to keep his remaining son from becoming a statistic. Mann used to paint and ride horseback, but now he''s doing everything he can to escape his emotions: getting involved in fights at school, joyriding at midnight, and much worse. His father, at his wit''s end, does the only thing he thinks will teach his son how to be a man he abandons him and his friend Kee Lee in the woods, leaving them to navigate their way home, alone.

The story of one young girl''s struggle for money and survival, and the lengths she will go to get both, now reissued with an arresting new cover. Is there greed in Raspberry Hill''s genes? In this sequel to Coretta Scott King Honor Book Money Hungry, once-homeless Raspberry Hill vows never to end up on the streets again. It''s been a year since Raspberry''s mother threw her hard-earned money out the window like trash, so to Raspberry money equals security and balance. And she''s determined to do anything to achieve it. But when a troubled neighborhood teenager attacks her mother and Raspberry''s drug-addicted father returns, Raspberry becomes desperate for her life to change and ends up doing the unthinkable, potentially ruining her friendships and losing her self-respect along the way. Will Raspberry accept that nothing good comes of bad money? Or is she destined to follow in her father''s footsteps?

Maleeka suffers every day from the taunts of the other kids in her class. If they''re not getting at her about her homemade clothes or her good grades, it''s about her dark, black skin. When a new teacher, whose face is blotched with a startling white patch, starts at their school, Maleeka can see there is bound to be trouble for her too. But the new teacher''s attitude surprises Maleeka. Miss Saunders loves the skin she''s in. Can Maleeka learn to do the same?

“Queen is smart. Queen is pretty. But nobody likes her except her kitty.” Queen’s house—the biggest one on 33rd Street--looks just like a castle, and in her bedroom, she has dozens of beautiful dresses and crowns. Queen thinks she’s a real queen, and she treats everyone, even her teacher, like her royal subject. When a new kid comes to Queen’s school, riding a broken bike and wearing smelly, worn-out clothes, Queen joins her classmates in making fun of him. Her parents insist she be nice to Leroy, but Queen doesn''t see why she should. Leroy doesn’t just stink; Queen thinks he tells lies—whoppers in fact. And when he says he’s an African prince from Senegal, Queen makes it her mission to prove Leroy is an impostor. But as she gets closer to discovering Leroy’s real story, Queen learns the unexpected from her broken bike boy: what being a good friend and “happily ever after” really mean.

The Skin I''m In " Flake''s debut novel will hit home. " -Publishers Weekly (starred review) Maleeka Madison, with help from her teacher, must learn to love her dark skin-the skin she''s in. Money Hungry " The unerring details evoke characters, rooms, and neighborhoods with economy and precision. " -Booklist (starred review) Raspberry Hill is starved for money and will do anything legal to keep from becoming homeless again. Begging for Change " Flake''s strength . . . Lies in developing genuine, believable adults and children. " -BCCB (starred review) A year later, Raspberry''s thieving, drug-addicted father returns, sending her into a tailspin of worry, deceit, and ultimately, redemption.