For fans of Gordon Korman, Varian Johnson, and Celia Pérez, High Score is an exciting heist adventure with a diverse cast of whipsmart characters and entertaining, fast-paced writing.
Darius James―DJ to his friends―has a head for cons and a heart of gold. He pulled his last con months ago at his old school. Now safely enrolled in the Fitz (Ella Fitzgerald Middle School) he’s determined to keep his head down. But when Conor, his best friend from his old school, suddenly shows up, DJ knows his anonymous days are numbered.
Sure enough, within a week of arriving at the Fitz, Conor runs afoul of Lucky, the seventh-grade bully who runs a complicated contest based on tickets from Starcade, the games-and-pizza joint across the street from the school. Lucky has the power to ruin any kid’s life, including Conor’s, unless DJ agrees to come up with 100,000 Starcade tickets within two weeks.
It’s impossible! Or is it? If anyone can stay on the straight and narrow―and pull off the biggest ticket heist of all time, it’s DJ. In the process, he just might save his friend―and maybe even the whole school―from Lucky.---from the publisher
304 pages 978-1338746716 Ages 8-12
Keywords: middle school, bullying, heist, friends, friendship, humor, action/adventure, diversity, diverse books, African American author, African American and Black stories, 8 year old, 9 year old, 10 year old, 11 year old, 12 year old
