The official comparison titles for this one are two of the biggest teen titles in the past decade - The Hate U Give meets One of Us is Lying. It’s a perfect blend of the two: a school-based mystery that focuses on a diverse cast and highlights racial disparity.
The principal at Urban Promise Prep School was murdered. There’s circumstantial evidence that points to three different boys: JB, Ramón, and Trey. The three aren’t in the same social circle, but they end up banding together to solve the murder and absolve themselves of the blame.
Over the course of the story we find out how strict the school is on the boys who attend; there’s no talking allowed in the hallways, they literally aren’t allowed to step out of line (there’s a line painted on the floor they have to walk on), and discipline follows a point-based system that vindictive teachers abuse. As the boys dive deeper, they find out that everything they believed about their school, and their principal, may not have been true after all. Students’ families have always been made to believe it’s a great opportunity for underprivileged students, and that Urban Promise Prep puts them on a fast track to college, but the boys’ investigation just may prove that they’ve all been misled.
The book is told in vignettes for a majority of the time, almost interview style with many bystanders giving their two cents on the events and characters in play. This writing style is really great for reluctant readers and people who prefer watching movies to reading!
Promise Boys is a compelling character-based novel and I definitely think it’s a good pick for teens in your life (or you!)
The principal at Urban Promise Prep School was murdered. There’s circumstantial evidence that points to three different boys: JB, Ramón, and Trey. The three aren’t in the same social circle, but they end up banding together to solve the murder and absolve themselves of the blame.
Over the course of the story we find out how strict the school is on the boys who attend; there’s no talking allowed in the hallways, they literally aren’t allowed to step out of line (there’s a line painted on the floor they have to walk on), and discipline follows a point-based system that vindictive teachers abuse. As the boys dive deeper, they find out that everything they believed about their school, and their principal, may not have been true after all. Students’ families have always been made to believe it’s a great opportunity for underprivileged students, and that Urban Promise Prep puts them on a fast track to college, but the boys’ investigation just may prove that they’ve all been misled.
The book is told in vignettes for a majority of the time, almost interview style with many bystanders giving their two cents on the events and characters in play. This writing style is really great for reluctant readers and people who prefer watching movies to reading!
Promise Boys is a compelling character-based novel and I definitely think it’s a good pick for teens in your life (or you!)