Tight

I've mentioned previously that as an English teacher I am constantly trying to get my hands on new books for my students. This is just another thing that we as educators find that we have to pay for out of our own pockets in addition to the dozens of notebooks, writing utensils, and other school supplies we end up donating to our students. 

This year there has been a huge social media movement called #clearthelist. Especially on Twitter, it is very active. Teachers post their wishlists from Amazon or their donorschoose.org projects and then friends, family, and strangers can help out by purchasing items or donating money to the cause. I've been amazed at how passionate and persistent these teachers are. And it has paid off! Hundreds of teachers have had their lists cleared or shrunk because of generous people. I posted my list a week or two ago and while my list wasn't cleared, it was significantly reduced! I had friends and family order me a dozen or so new books for my classroom library.

Now I've got a huge stack of books that I'd like to get through before I book talk them to my kids. Also if I get a bunch of new books all at once, I try to introduce them to my classroom over time so that kids don't get so focused on one or two that they notice first and then forget about the other ones. It makes the excitement last longer!

Anyway, one of the books that I was gifted is Tight by Torrey Maldonado. You can purchase your own copy here!

Torrey Maldonado also wrote a book called Secret Saturdays which I've heard great things about and even recommended to a student last year but I never got around to reading it myself.  Maldonado is a middle school teacher that teaches in the neighborhood where he was raised in Brooklyn, NY. His website bio talks about how "growing up, Torrey hated reading...he hated boring books and books that seemed to hate or dismiss him and where he was from. Luckily, he was introduced to NOT boring and culturally responsive books." He writes what he considers to be mirror and window books that allow students to see themselves in his writing and provide a clear picture of what urban life is like for students who don't experience it.

Tight is the story of Bryan, a kid growing up in a tough urban area. His dad is in and out of jail but his mom has high expectations for him and wants him to stay out of trouble. His parents introduce him to Mike, someone they feel will be a good influence on him. They start to hang out, read comics, and draw pictures together. Then suddenly Mike starts to pressure Bryan into doing things that he knows he shouldn't.

Bryan is drawn in by the crazy adrenaline rush of skipping school, hopping turnstiles at the subway, and even train surfing. But Bryan starts to realize that he might be in over his head. This isn't the type of life that his parents want for him--and he doesn't want the drama.

So Bryan has to figure out how he can stand up for the things that he believes in while maintaining his reputation in their urban community. 

Maldonado really takes the time to draw readers into what must be his and Bryan's upbringing in a tough neighborhood. The colloquial language that is used seems to be very fitting and there were several expressions and phrases that I had to google on "urban dictionary" to understand what was going on. But I think for kids that come from these areas and use this lingo, it will help them feel seen and understood.

I know that a lot of kids this age, like the kids that I teach, are still trying to figure what it means to have good friends--those that will be there for them and stand up for them. Choosing friends that are a good influence and not a bad influence on them is something that they need to learn. So I feel like this topic is great at the center of a middle-grade novel and gives the kids an opportunity to learn before they might experience it themselves! The message that is given at the end will definitely help them.

I would recommend this book for those who love middle-grade, urban settings, books about friendship, relatable dialogue, and short book lovers (it's less than 200 pages!).