Monday, September 1, 2025

When We Ride by Rex Ogle - OPTIONAL

When We Ride
by Rex Ogle
, 336 pages. NOVEL IN VERSE Norton Young Readers, 2025. $19. 

Language: R ( 71 swears 74 f's); Mature Content: PG13 (implied sex, teen alcohol and drug use); Violence: R (gun violence, fights, physical assault) 

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

17yo Benny is a good student, his mother has high expectations for him, he doesn't drink or do drugs, he gets high grades and he has a job washing dishes at a diner. But Benny's best friend Lawson always needs a ride. They've been best friends for 10 years, call each other brother and have each other's backs, but Lawson, is a drug dealer. 

Edge of your seat action that will engage the reader from the very first page. Lawson's choices get him in deeper and deeper trouble, making When We Ride, a novel in verse, a cautionary tale not only about the dangers of using and dealing, but also about what happens to the people on the periphery. Benny is Hispanic, Lawson defaults white. 

Lisa Librarian  

No comments: