Tyrell by Coe Booth
Tyrell by Coe Booth is the true-to-life tale of a 15 year old boy who becomes responsible for his mother and younger brother when Ty’s father lands in prison and the family is evicted from their apartment.
Tyrell’s relationship with his girlfriend Novisha becomes strained as Ty endures life in a roach-infested motel with other homeless families & individuals, and struggles to make some cash without following in his father’s footprints. Guilt-tripped by his mother and determined to find a way out of the shelters his family’s bussed around to, Tyrell draws on a love of music and some of his father’s connections to organize a party. But will it be enough to change things for Tyrell and his family?
Complicated, convincing relationships between Ty and his girlfriend, brother, mother and buddies make this a book that lives beyond its pages. I found myself thinking about Tyrell in my spare time, wondering what events would transpire in his life. I’d highly recommend this to mature 8-12th graders who have a taste for realistic fiction.
Booth won the LA Times Prize for Young Adult Literature this past April, and was featured in the May 2007 issue of School Library Journal. Tyrell is written with a great deal of sensitivity, compassion, humor and voice. Here’s hoping Booth has many more stories to tell!
