Vendor
	Mohrbooks Literary Agency Sebastian Ritscher
Original language
English
Categories
Children’s, Teenage & Educational

TIGHT

Torrey Maldonado

Sixth-grader Bryan is empathetic and thoughtful by nature, but his dad is different. His dad, who is just recently out of jail, tells Bryan it's better for a man to be feared than to be liked. So Bryan befriends his classmate Mike, who has some risky ideas about how to have fun. But when Mike takes things a step too far, Bryan has a diffcult decision to make.

A tween boy from the projects gets all wound up when he's constantly told he needs to be "hard" when he'd rather go with the flow and stay chill.

Bryan's mom has always encouraged his quiet, thoughtful nature, but his dad is different. He thinks it's time for the sixth-grader to toughen up. With a quick temper and recently out of jail on probation, he tells Bryan it's better for a man to be feared than to be liked.

Bryan's not really sure about this, and it doesn't seem to even matter when he befriends new kid Mike. At first everything is calm and chill, the way Bryan likes it, as the boys bond over their love of reading comics and drawing superheroes. But things get uncomfortable when it turns out Mike has some risky ideas about how to have fun. Then Bryan's dad gets in a fight and ends up back in jail, and something in Bryan snaps. He starts cutting school, jumping subway turnstiles and going train surfing, with Mike in the lead. But when Mike takes things a step too far and shows his true colors, Bryan has a difficult decision to make.

Available products
Book Published 2018-09-04 by Nancy Paulsen Books
Book Published 2018-09-04 by Nancy Paulsen Books

Comments

With its understated prose, evocative dialogue and much-needed message, Tight is essential reading.

Maldonado's novel quietly interrogates toxic masculinity in a story that will resonate with middle-grade readers who, just like Bryan, are questioning who they are, who they want to be friends with, and how those choices will impact their lives.

This is a novel that kid readers across the board will go for, and that readers hungry for Afro-Latinx representation will cheer on. In Bryan, Maldonado has created a vivid, relatable character with a lot going on between his ears. He has also built a fascinating and realistic world for this character to occupy, and spun a story that packs punch, enclosing within it hidden, but never preachy, lessons about life and love and healthy self-respect. Read more...

Brightly (418,000 UVPM) ran an essay by Maldonado about portraying multidimensional characters in his novels and the dangers of hero worship.

Through Bryan's believable, emotionally honest first-person narration, Maldonado skillfully shows a boy trying to navigate parental desires and the societal expectations of his Brooklyn neighborhood while trying to figure himself out. Readers will be rooting for Bryan to make the right choices even as they understand the wrong ones.

The Washington Post (circ. 288,185 / 43.9 million UVPM) ran an interview with TIGHT author Torrey Maldonado about his writing process, experiences as a middle school teachers, and what superpower he wishes he had.

I was riveted by Bryan's journey, breaking down stereotypes and becoming his own kind of superhero. This, in and of itself, is not only Bryan's superpower but Maldonado's as well. Loved this book!

This is a book featuring a complexity of character we're lucky to find in a 21st century middle grade novel. Torrey Maldonado hits this one out of the park.

Tight hits all the right notes in delivering a suspenseful tale of what it means to become a man in a world split by superhero devotion and macho swagger. A thoughtful look into the pitfalls of male friendship and a riveting addition to tween lit.

[Torrey Maldonado] excels at depicting realistic and authentic interactions between middle school boys... An excellent addition to libraries with fans of David Barclay Moore's The Stars Beneath Our Feet, Jason Reynolds's Ghost, and character-driven realistic fiction.

The author shrewdly builds suspense, fueling readers' dread that Bryan's poor choices will have dire consequences, but lands Bryan in a satisfying place. This is a psychologically intricate story of the challenges and rewards of family, friendship, and discerning one's true self.

Latinxs in Kidlit (83,665 UVPM) ran a Q&A with Maldonado Read more...

A book about making good choices and knowing who your real friends are, topics that are relatable to nearly everyone ... It is an engaging story and readers will find themselves rooting for Bryan.