Before the Ever After

Told in prose - this middle grade novel is full of heartbreak and hope. Set in the early 2000s, this novel follows one boy and his fathers worsening CTE (although in this book they don't know what his dad has yet). ZJ has always been proud of his dad, he's a superhero and as far as he's concerned he's the best pro-football player in the world. But lately he's been acting weird. He keeps repeating the same things, getting angry and forgetful; he's losing his old dad. Since his dad's headaches have progressively worsened, he's stopped playing football and he's not practicing with his team. Some days he can't even leave his darkened room. ZJ takes comfort in his three best friends, his mom's strength, and music. Beautiful and captivating. 

After Tupac and D Foster

A good story that lots of teens will relate too, but I was a little disappointed it wasn't longer or had a larger plot. It's a pretty simplistic story about how two young black girl's lives are changed when a girl named D. Foster walks onto their block. They immediately become best friends and the girls try to probe for details about D's mysterious life. All they know is that she has a foster mom and is obsessed with Tupac. Over the next two years they slowly learn more about her troubled past and that only makes them more committed to being her friend. They learn how to deal with boys, racism, broken homes, gays, developing bodies, and more. A good coming of age novel, I just wish there were a little more to it.