{"product_id":"hands-isbn-9780593323793","title":"Hands","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"Gorgeous and gripping, \u003ci\u003eHands\u003c\/i\u003e is a poetic page-turner. You might just finish it in one sitting. Torrey Maldonado understands the kids he writes for at the deepest level.” —Adam Gidwitz, Newbery Honor–winning author of\u003ci\u003e The Inquisitor’s Tale\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe author of \u003ci\u003eWhat Lane?\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eTight\u003c\/i\u003e delivers a fast-paced read that packs a punch about a boy figuring out how to best use his hands—to build or to knock down.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTrev would do anything to protect his mom and sisters, especially from his stepdad. But his stepdad’s return stresses Trev—because when he left, he threatened Trev’s mom. Rather than live scared, Trev takes matters into his own hands, literally. He starts learning to box to handle his stepdad. But everyone isn’t a fan of his plan, because Trev’s a talented artist, and his hands could actually help him build a better future. And they’re letting him know. But their advice for some distant future feels useless in his reality right now. Ultimately, Trev knows his future is in his hands, and his hands are his own, and \u003ci\u003ehe\u003c\/i\u003e has to choose how to use them.\u003cb\u003e*\u003c\/b\u003e “Maldonado’s latest tells a story many middle grade kids will have an immediate personal connection to: shouldering adult problems and taking them on as their own. . . . Maldonado’s story moves quickly, but it packs a punch with a rapidly progressing plot and short chapters. Tweens will appreciate the tight prose. When the novel concludes, readers will feel a sense of the real community Trev has beyond his immediate family. They will also appreciate the complex supporting characters and feel hopeful for Trev’s future. Those who have enjoyed Maldonado’s earlier books as well as fans of Jason Reynolds 'Track' series will love this one too. This is an absolute must-have for every middle grade library collection.” —\u003ci\u003eSchool Library Journal\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003cb\u003estarred review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Trevor must decide what kind of person he aspires to be and what he’s willing to risk for his future. The author caters to reluctant readers while exploring complex ideas surrounding community, domestic abuse, and problem-solving. Brief chapters, a fast-paced narrative, and simple language make this an accessible read. The characters feel relatable, and Trevor’s love for his community comes through clearly in the first-person narration. Though by the conclusion, Trevor’s problems aren’t over, that doesn’t mean he’s facing them alone. . . . A short story with a lasting impact.” —\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“This intense page-turner by Maldonado (What Lane?) perceptively explores the complexities of one Black tween’s experience facing difficult situations, the effect that violence has on one family’s future, and the value of community when working through hardship.” —\u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“This coming-of-age story is about the choices one can make and how they can affect our future, as well as the importance of family, even those who may not be related by blood. This has a powerful plot and an immersive text, and it's packaged in a short format perfect for impatient readers.” \u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003e—\u003ci\u003eBooklist \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Based on Maldonado’s own experience of growing up in Brooklyn’s Red Hook Houses, this is an accessible, engaging, and heartfelt story.” —\u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003eHorn Book\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“Explores the difficult topic of domestic abuse via a genuine tale that is accessible to young readers. . . . Maldonado is seasoned at writing novels in urban settings and this title stands out as one of his stronger works. Trev is a likable and strong character with a range of emotions that young readers will understand. The neighborhood comes alive . . . and features many colorful secondary characters. The book ends on a hopeful tone as Trevor realizes he has both family and a community who will stand behind him. Reminiscent of how Brubaker made the topic of sexual abuse accessible to a younger audience in Fighting Words, Maldonado does the same for domestic abuse in this book. A worthy addition to library collections.”\u003ci\u003e —\u003ci\u003eSchool Library Connection\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“Torrey taps into a kind of writing we’ve been in dire need of for a very long time. And with his authentic voice and whole heaping helpfuls of heart, his latest book Hands is one that your kids are NOT going to want to miss. . . . The fact of the matter is that there is no other author out there writing with Maldonado’s capabilities and then consistently putting out full-length stories that are this short. . . . A great deal of the book’s lure lies in its complications. Trev’s problem is anything but straightforward. . . . The author is being honest with the reader. Life is rarely tied up in a neat little bow, and in eschewing some kind of deus ex machina, the story is honoring the complications surrounding Trev’s life. . . . Homey and touching, complicated and unafraid to deal with paradoxes . . . the final product is ultimately a strong piece I’d hand to any kid willingly. Especially the kids that don’t even know it’s what they need. Yet.” —Betsy Bird, \u003ci\u003eA Fuse #8 Production\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eTorrey Maldonado (torreymaldonado.com), the author of the critically acclaimed \u003ci\u003eWhat Lane?\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eTight\u003c\/i\u003e, is a teacher in Brooklyn, New York, where he was born and raised. His books reflect his students' and his experiences.\u003cb\u003eChapter 1\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e You promise? I promise. People say people have “promise.” Whatever that means.\u003cbr\u003e          All I know is . . . I got promises to keep. I \u003ci\u003ehave\u003c\/i\u003e to. But which ones are right? Which are wrong?\u003cbr\u003e           Messed-­up stuff happened with my stepdad. Has me feeling messed up. Feeling torn and confused about what to do.\u003cbr\u003e           I thought my stepdad was the Man. Tried to make him smile. Hoped he’d accept me. Needed to be his boy after my pops died. Wanted to be \u003ci\u003ehis\u003c\/i\u003e. Followed him.\u003cbr\u003e           But not no more. \u003ci\u003eNah.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e           Not after that night he got locked up for throwing hands. And not with just anyone . . . \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eChapter 2\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e You don’t mess with my mother.\u003cbr\u003e           But my stepdad did.\u003cbr\u003e           I only saw him hit her that one night. \u003cbr\u003e           My mom shielded me \u003ci\u003ea lot\u003c\/i\u003e after my real dad died when I was seven. I guess she couldn’t shield me completely because my dad dying hurt so bad I got left back. It’s why I’m now twelve in the sixth grade.\u003cbr\u003e           Ma was hyped my stepdad wanted her: a woman with two kids. He promised to protect her, and us. He had his own kid, my stepsister, Jess.\u003cbr\u003e           My sister and stepsister are my hearts. My stepsister, Jess, is the oldest, seventeen. My sister, Nikki, is fifteen.\u003cbr\u003e           Real fast, my mom and stepdad started living together, and real fast, talking about my real dad stopped because my stepdad wanted to be the \u003ci\u003eonly\u003c\/i\u003e man of the house. He didn’t want to hear anything about my pops.\u003cbr\u003e           Here’s how I know.\u003cbr\u003e           Once, me and my stepdad walked to the store and passed a couple of grandma-aged women on a bench. One friendly-­shouted, “Hey, Spider-Man!”\u003cbr\u003e           I knew she was talking to me because I had on a Miles Morales Spider-Man T-­shirt. Back then I was into-­into Miles’s Spider-­Man. He’s still fire.\u003cbr\u003e           She waved at me. “Boy, you Trevor?”\u003cbr\u003e           I nodded.\u003cbr\u003e           The woman next to her elbowed her and smiled. “Brenda, you \u003ci\u003eknow\u003c\/i\u003e that’s Trevor Junior. Same handsome face as his father’s.” She eyed my stepdad. “No disrespect. You cute, but his real dad was \u003ci\u003efi-iine\u003c\/i\u003e.”\u003cbr\u003e           She didn’t mean to be rude, but my stepdad’s face got tight how people’s faces do when a splinter pricks their finger bloody.\u003cbr\u003e           I wanted to stay getting props for looking like my real pops and being told how dope he was, but my stepdad put his hand on my back and interrupted the women. “We gotta go.”\u003cbr\u003e           The first woman who spoke—­Brenda—­called out to my stepdad’s back as he shoved me forward. “Hope you a gentleman like Trevor’s dad! That man was such a gentle—­”\u003cbr\u003e           My stepdad shooed me with more force, and then half a block away, he told me, “You be \u003ci\u003elucky\u003c\/i\u003e if you look like \u003ci\u003eme\u003c\/i\u003e. But enough talking about your old man.”\u003cbr\u003e           So anyway, back to the night my stepdad got arrested, \u003ci\u003ehe\u003c\/i\u003e got heated because \u003ci\u003ehe\u003c\/i\u003e got himself two more years in jail for violating his parole.\u003cbr\u003e           I was shocked he blamed Ma for everything.\u003cbr\u003e           Jess and Nikki were shocked too—­shocked that I was surprised at what he did. They said the same thing: “Trev, we need to talk. There’s a lot you don’t know.”\u003cbr\u003e           What didn’t I know?\u003cbr\u003e           And how’d I miss it?\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eChapter 3\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e As cops put my stepdad in their car, he shouted at Ma like he was making a promise. “I’ll get you back! YOU did this to me! YOU got me locked up!”\u003cbr\u003e           How was it her fault? \u003ci\u003eHe\u003c\/i\u003e hit her. \u003ci\u003eHe’s\u003c\/i\u003e wrong.\u003cbr\u003e           And what’d she do anyway?\u003cbr\u003e           Later that night, Jess and Nikki tell me more. What I missed. Turns out Ma did nothing to get hit because nothing ever deserves getting hit.\u003cbr\u003e           They came in my room and our whole conversation was whispers.\u003cbr\u003e           Me: “Did he always hit her?”\u003cbr\u003e           Jess: “No. They’d just argue.”\u003cbr\u003e           Nikki: “Ma used to win, nonstop.”\u003cbr\u003e           Jess: “Facts.”\u003cbr\u003e           Nikki: “Until that day he—­”\u003cbr\u003e           Me: “What?”\u003cbr\u003e           Jess: “Ma said he shook a fist near her face. Threatened to clock her. And threatening became his thing when he couldn’t win with words.”\u003cbr\u003e           “He ever put his fist in your faces?” I ask.\u003cbr\u003e           Jess: “No! Ma wouldn’t let him. She said she’d die before she let that happen!”\u003cbr\u003e           Jess shares why the big fight started. “They were arguing about you, Trev. Dad told Ma, ‘You raising him \u003ci\u003esoft\u003c\/i\u003e.’ I know because I’d eavesdrop at their bedroom door when they argued. Dad barked, ‘I tried teaching him to box and he was all whiny. \u003ci\u003eNo. I don’t want to throw a punch. I don’t want to hurt anybody\u003c\/i\u003e.’ ” Jess eyes me now. “Did that really happen?”\u003cbr\u003e           I feel guilty and nod. “Yeah.”\u003cbr\u003e           Jess sucks her teeth. “Anyway. Their fight got louder—­and I don’t know why, but he snapped. He must’ve lifted his fist because she said, ‘I’m NOT scared of YOU.’                   Then \u003ci\u003eBOOM!\u003c\/i\u003e Everything went \u003ci\u003etoo\u003c\/i\u003e quiet.”\u003cbr\u003e           I think back to the cop car, to my stepdad’s promise that he’d get her back for calling the cops on him.\u003cbr\u003e           And that night, as Ma iced her puffy eye, I made a promise through my salty tears, deep in my heart:\u003cbr\u003e           On my life . . . \u003cbr\u003e           On my mom’s . . . \u003cbr\u003e           On my sisters’ . . . \u003cbr\u003e           He won’t \u003ci\u003eever\u003c\/i\u003e hit Ma again.\u003cbr\u003e           Never.\u003cbr\u003e           Watch.","brand":"Nancy Paulsen Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46305019232485,"sku":"NP9780593323793","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780593323793.jpg?v=1767728658","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/hands-isbn-9780593323793","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}