As Li'l J hides out, he and Kelly talk about what went wrong with J's life. Kelly is watching a television that not only shows what's happening on the street but plays out scenes from Li'l J's past and possibly near future. When a drug deal to an undercover cop ends badly, Li'l J escapes to an abandoned apartment building where he meets an unusual man named Kelly.

Occasionally he does heroin to escape the 'hole' he's in.

He spends time like a lot of the other young men he sees in Harlem, just hanging out, passing time, selling drugs. Li'l J can't see any way out of the downward spiral of his life. Walter Dean Myers was a New York Times bestselling author, Printz Award winner, five-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Award, two-time Newbery Honor recipient, and the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. Maria Russo, writing in the New York Times, called Myers 'one of the greats and a champion of diversity in children’s books well before the cause got mainstream attention.' Read more This ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers earned multiple starred reviews and was described as 'vivid,' 'nuanced,' and 'intriguing.' Booklist said: “Myers’ narrative strategy is so inherently dramatic that it captures his readers’ attentions and imaginations, inviting not only empathy but also thoughtful discussion.” He'd do anything to change the last twenty-four hours, and when he stumbles into an abandoned building, it actually might be possible.Įlements of magical realism intensify this harrowing story about drug use, violence, perceptions of reality, and second chances. Dope Sick, from two-time Newbery Honor winner and five-time Coretta Scott King Award winner Walter Dean Myers, belongs on reading lists beside Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds and Dear Martin by Nic Stone.Ī drug deal goes south and a cop has been shot.

A powerful novel of drugs, violence-and second chances.

Dope sick author