After teenage Maverick discovers he’s a father, the overwhelmed teenage mother of his baby leaves the infant with him and disappears. Maverick’s hardworking mom steps up to help but makes it clear that Maverick’s son is his responsibility. Since his cousin Dre, who does his best to protect Maverick from the harshest aspects of gang life in their neighborhood, has made Maverick promise to stop selling hard drugs, Maverick takes an after-school job at a neighborhood store to earn money for formula and diapers. Between taking care of his son and working for demanding Mr. Wyatt, Maverick is exhausted. He, too, is overwhelmed, in love with his son, and scared about the future. Despite Dre’s help, there’s no easy way out of gang life in his neighborhood. When a shooting death hits close to home, grief-stricken Maverick finds solace with his former girlfriend, Lisa, whom he still loves, their reconnection giving him hope for their future together. Maverick’s irresistible first-person voice is compelling, authentic, honest, sharply perceptive, by turns funny and heartbreaking. Exceptional dialogue reveals the complexity of the characters and their lives—even those making brief appearances, like Maverick’s dad, who’s trying to be a good parent from prison. For Maverick, understanding that his choices have consequences that impact not only him but those he loves clarifies the kinds of decisions he wants to make moving forward in this prequel to The Hate U Give that centers on Starr’s dad as a teenager. (Age 13 and older)