All thirteen-year-old Raspberry can think of is making money so that she and her mother never have to worry about living on the streets again.

In 9 stories and 15 poems, Sharon G. Flake provides insight into the minds of a diverse group adolescent African American males. There's Tow-Kaye, getting married at age 16 to love of his life, who's pregnant. He knows it's the right thing to do, but he's scared to death. James writes in his diary about his twin brother's terrible secret, which threatens to pull James down, too. Tyler explains what it's like to be a player with the ladies. In a letter...

Teenaged Raspberry Hill tries to sort out her confused feelings of disgust, shame, and love for her homeless, drug addicted father and worries that she may have inherited his lying and stealing ways.

Cat thinks Duck should stop meowing and start acting like a duck, but Duck doesn't want to be limited to acting like just one animal.

"Best friends Duck and Cat have a problem -- Cat makes Duck sneeze! 'I think-achoo!-I'm allergic to you,' Duck declares. Hilarity ensues as Cat keeps trying to solve the problem -- but Duck keeps sneezing! Is Duck really allergic to Cat or is something else going on?" --

"An anthology featuring award-winning diverse authors about diverse characters. Short stories, a graphic novel, and a one-act play explore such topics as gentrification, acceptance, untimely death, coming out, and poverty, and range in genre from contemporary realistic fiction to adventure and romance"--