Tyrell (Push) (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: pops equipment, cell ring, gonna hafta, Hunts Point, Red Lobster, Puerto Rican (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 9 Up–Now that his father is in jail, nothing seems to be going right for 15-year-old Tyrell. His mother's refusal to work and her stint with welfare fraud have forced them into homelessness and life in a roach-infested shelter in Hunts Point. At the shelter, Tyrell soon realizes that his attraction to another resident, Jasmine, could derail his dreams of a future with his girl, Novisha. Torn between the needs of the women in his life and his seven-year-old brother, Tyrell is determined to stay clean as he agonizes over creating a new life for his family. Booth combines the rhythm of raw street lingo with the harsh realities of an inner-city urban life to illuminate the labyrinth of Tyrell's world. As he struggles to escape this circle of poverty, he must also battle dual temptations of sexual frustration and the easy money he could make as a drug dealer. This is a thrilling, fast-paced novel whose strong plot and array of vivid, well-developed characters take readers on an unforgettable journey through the gritty streets of New York City's South Bronx. At its heart is the painful choice the teen must make as he realizes the effect of his mother's failure to do right by their family.–Caryl Soriano, New York Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* "You don't hardly get to have no kinda childhood in the hood." At 15, Tyrell is trying to keep his little brother in school and safe in their roach-infested shelter in the Bronx. He has dropped out of school, and Moms wants him to sell drugs to make money. But Tyrell is too smart. He doesn't want to end up in prison like his dad, so he tries to organize a neighborhood party to raise money. His girlfriend, Novisha, isn't happy that Tyrell has dropped out. She loves him, and they make out, but he respects her wish to remain a virgin. Booth, who was born and raised in the Bronx, is now a social worker there, and her first novel is heartbreakingly realistic. There are some plot contrivances--including Tyrell's stumbling upon Novisha's diary--but the immediate first-person narrative is pitch perfect: fast, funny, and anguished (there's also lots of use of then-word, though the term is employed in the colloquial sense, not as an insult). Unlike many books reflecting the contemporary street scene, this one is more than just a pat situation with a glib resolution; it's filled with surprising twists and turns that continue to the end. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Press; 1 edition (October 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439838797
• ISBN-13: 978-0439838795
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #211,972 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, October 16, 2006

By	TeensReadToo.com "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

Coe Booth's first novel, TYRELL, is a masterfully written, gritty reality check of urban life through the eyes of a heavily burdened fifteen-year-old. After his father is sentenced to prison (for the third time), it is up to Tyrell Green to take care of both his deranged mother and his seven-year-old brother, Troy. But Tyrell is only fifteen! Not only is he living in a completely run-down shelter, but he is broke, out of school, and struggling for some way to earn money to get his mom and brother out of shelter care and into an apartment of their own.

In a place like the Bronx, it is easy for young adults to get caught up in a life of crime. Tyrell knows this, but is also a man of principle (for the most part, at least). Refusing to earn his quick buck through such shady sources as drug dealing, he originates a plan to get the money he needs to get things back to the way they were. The question of whether it will work, or whether it will blow up in his face....you'll have to read TYRELL to find out (but it's worth it!)

The great thing about TYRELL is that Coe Booth keeps the pressure on at all times. Real life drama is quilted into the novel until the very end, and it is both humbling and very entertaining to read. She also incorporates real urban vernacular (e.g. "slang") to create an extremely real and convincing narrative.

Coe Booth creates an atmosphere so believable it's impossible not to walk away after reading the novel and not have taken something with you. The characters experience the lowest of lows, the highest of highs, and everything in-between throughout the course of the story--and it doesn't stop until the very end. Dripping from head to toe with sharp turns and very surprising climaxes, it's sure to keep you consumed until the last page.

It's a lot to pack into a story, but Booth does it gracefully and with extraordinary skill. I praise Ms. Booth's first novel and am waiting anxiously for the next.

Plus, she's a PUSH novelist, and it doesn't get much better than PUSH!

Reviewed by: Long Nguyen

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My tenth grader wouldn't put it down!, January 23, 2007

By	Sukey Paola "Rubycat" (Old Saybrook, CT) - See all my reviews

I purchased this book for my son. He read the first page and wouldn't put it down. He finished it in two days and even read it while snacking at the table. Clearly an absorbing story, I highly recommend this book for your teenaged boy, especially those who have trouble finding an engaging read.
Slightly adult content but okay for older teens.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Realistic and complex characters, January 2, 2007

By	Deanna L. Day Wiff "teacher who loves books" (Vancouver, WA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I read Tyrell in one day--I couldn't stop reading. This book accurately reflects culture, language, history, and values of an African American family living in a homeless shelter in NY. Some of my favorite issues in the book include: adolescence, relationships with family and friends, foster care system, homeless/poverty, keeping secrets, and struggling to stay in school.

On p. 127 Tyrell shares what teachers and school did for him. This was heartbreaking but true for many students across America.

I will definitely share this book with high school students (Grades 9-12) and encourage them to read it.