Starred ReviewStarred Review Knockout Games
For Kalvin Barnes, the only thing that comes close to the rush of playing the knockout game is watching videos of the knockout game.
Kalvin’s crew always takes videos of their KOs, but Kalvin wants more—something better. He thinks if someone could really see the game for what it was, could appreciate it, could capture the essence of it—that would be a video for all time. The world would have to notice.
That’s where Erica comes in. She’s new in town. Awkward. Shy. White. But she’s got a good camera and a filmmaker’s eye. She could learn. Kalvin could open her eyes to the power he sees in the knockout game; he could make her see things his way. But first she’ll have to close her eyes to everything else.
For a while, Kalvin’s knockouts are strangers. For a while, Erica can ignore their suffering in the rush of creativity and Kalvin’s attention. Then comes the KO that forces her eyes open, that makes her see what’s really happening.
No one wins the knockout game.
Coretta Scott King Award honoree G. Neri captures the notorious and terrifying knockout game and its players in an unflinching novel that’s hard to read and impossible to put down.
| Format | Your Price | Add |
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978-1-4677-6594-7
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$23.99 |
Awards
- Florida Book Awards Silver Medal
- Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) Choices
- Notable AwardNotable Award Children's Book Committee at Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year
- Notable AwardNotable Award In the Margins: Best Books for Teens Nominee
- Tayshas Reading List
Reviews
Library Media Connection
“The writing style is as tough as the story….This well-written book will have a place in high school collections, especially urban schools. It will also play well with struggling readers.”―Library Media Connection
VOYA
“This is a novel that needs to be read and discussed by both teens and adults. Get this one out there and start the discussion.” —VOYA
The Horn Book Magazine
“[T]his is Neri’s most powerful novel to date.” —The Horn Book Magazine
Publishers Weekly
“Neri (Ghetto Cowboy) skillfully portrays the moral and emotional turmoil of a teen desperate for acceptance, and the repercussions of making hard decisions. Racial and social undercurrents further give this story an intense, thought-provoking edge.” —Publishers Weekly
Starred ReviewStarred Review Kirkus Reviews
“[T]he author’s meaty ideas and exciting action sequences blend together perfectly. . . . Harsh and relentless, a tough but worthy read.” —starred, Kirkus Reviews