If you were looking for a real ghetto dump, you couldn’t beat The Stratford Arms. There was Askia Ben Kenobi throwing karate chops upstairs, Petey Darden making booze downstairs, and Mrs. Brown grieving for Jack Johnson, who’d died for the third time in a month—and not a rent payer in the bunch. Still, when Paul Williams and the Action Group got the Arms for one dollar, they thought they had it made. But when their friend Chris was arrested for stealing stereos and Dean’s dog started biting fire hydrants and Gloria started kissing, being a landlord turned out to be a lot more work than being a kid.
On sale: October 1, 1989
Age: 10 and up
Grade: Grade 5 & Up
Page count: 208 Pages
ISBN: 9780140342444
Reading level: Lexile: 820L | Fountas/Pinnell: X
Walter Dean Myers (1937-2014) was one of the premier authors of children’s books. Among his many honors are two Newbery Honor Books,
Scorpions and
Somewhere in the Darkness. He is also a two-time recipient of the Coretta Scott King Award for
Now Is Your Time! and
Fallen Angels. In addition, Myers has received the Margaret A. Edwards Award for his contribution to young adult literature. Myers was also named the 2012 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature.
