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Urban Lit
Stories in the city, stories from the streets... just for teens

   Afterlife by Gary Soto

A senior at East Fresno High School lives on as a ghost after his brutal murder in the restroom of a club where he had gone to dance.

   Emako Blue by Brenda Woods

(Place a hold to get this item from Broomfield or Louisville)
Monterey, Savannah, Jamal, and Eddie have never had much to do with each other until Emako Blue shows up at chorus practice, but just as the lives of the five Los Angeles high school students become intertwined, tragedy tears them apart.

   Hip Hop High School by Alan Lawrence Sitomer

Follows an African-American teenager through four years at her inner-city high school.

   Jason & Kyra by Dana Davidson

Handsome and popular Jason tries to come to terms with his irascible, often absent father and his growing attraction to the quiet, studious Kyra.

   Monster by Walter Dean Myers

Here's the story of 16-year-old Steve Harmon told through his own movie script. "Fade In: Early morning in Cell Block D, Manhattan Detention Center."

   Paranoid Park by Blake Nelson

A sixteen-year-old Portland, Oregon skateboarder, whose parents are going through a difficult divorce, is engulfed by guilt and confusion when he accidentally kills a security guard at a train yard.

   Party Girl by Lynne Ewing

The death of her best friend Ana in a drive-by shooting causes fifteen-year-old Kata to question her position in the Los Angeles gang life.

   Played by Dana Davidson

When one of Ian's boys dares him to get plain-faced Kylie Winship to sleep with him in just three weeks, he thinks it will be a breeze. If he succeeds in playing Kylie, he'll be down with the most popular crew in his high school. Kylie has a gut feeling that something's up when Ian starts pursuing her. Even though she is cautious at first, their relationship heats up quickly and soon Kylie has to decide whether to listen to her heart, or her head.

   Romiette and Julio by Sharon Draper

Romiette, an African-American girl, and Julio, a Hispanic boy, discover that they attend the same high school after falling in love on the Internet, but are harrassed by a gang whose members object to their interracial dating.

   Rose That Grew From Concrete by Tupac Shakur

A collection of poetry written by the rapper between 1989 and 1991, before he became famous. The poems are passionate, sometimes angry, and often compelling.

   Street Love by Walter Dean Myers

This story told in free verse is set against a background of street gangs and poverty in Harlem in which seventeen-year-old African American Damien takes a bold step to ensure that he and his new love will not be separated.

   Tyrell by Coe Booth

Who do you turn to when your life falls apart? Sixteen-year-old Tyrell and his family go into temporary housing and things start to unravel at the seams. He tries to get his family back on their feet, navigate a relationship with his girl who is still in high school and face the developing love with someone who understands his circumstance...