A ten-day suspension has tweens De’Kari and Ebony seeing the world with a fresh perspective. Don’t miss this poignant novel in verse from the award-winning author ofIsaiah Dunn Is My Hero.

Two kids. One fight. No one thinks they’re wrong.

Flow
I don’t even hit girls . . . is what I’m thinking.
I roll my eyes, turn them to my shoes.

Shoes I’ma wear every day till they fall off my feet.

Eb

It was all just an accident!
Nobody was trying to mess up
his Stupid Ugly Shoes.

Now I’ve got my third suspension of seventh grade.

Ebony and De’Kari (aka Flow) donotget along. How could they when their cafeteria scuffle ended with De’Kari’s ruined shoes, Ebony on the ground, and both of them with ten days of at-home suspension? Now Eb and Flow have two weeks to think about and explain their behavior–to their families, to each other, and ultimately to themselves.

Award-winning author Kelly J. Baptist delivers a novel in verse that follows Eb and Flow as they navigate their parallel lives. Single-parent homes, tight funds, and sibling dynamics provide a balancing act for the growing tweens. And whether they realize it or not, these two have a lot more in common than they think.

Kelly J. Baptistis the inaugural winner of the We Need Diverse Books short-story contest. Her story is featured in the WNDB anthologyFlying Lessons & Other Storiesand inspired her first full-length novel,Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero,and its sequel,Isaiah Dunn Saves the Day.Kelly is also the author of the picture bookThe Electric Slide and KaiandThe Swag Is in the Socks,which was inspired by her love of unique socks, as well as her older sister’s hero work as a speech-language pathologist. Kelly lives in southwest Michigan with her five amazing children. Find Kelly at kellyiswrite.com.

• Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
• Publish Date: March 14, 2023
• Pages: 224
• Dimensions: 5.77 X 8.5 X 0.89 inches | 0.72 pounds
• Language: English
• Type: Hardcover
• EAN/UPC: 9780593429136
• BISAC Categories: People & Places – United States – African-American, Social Themes – Friendship, Stories in Verse, Poetry