In the companion to her acclaimed So Done, Paula Chase follows best
friends Simp and Rollie as their friendship is threatened by the
pressures of basketball, upcoming auditions, middle school, and their
growing involvement in the local drug ring.
Dough Boys is a memorably vivid story about the complex friendship
between two African American boys whose lives are heading down very
different paths. For fans of Jason Reynolds's Ghost and Rebecca
Stead's Goodbye Stranger.
Deontae "Simp" Wright has big plans for his future. Plans that involve
basketball, his best friend, Rollie, and making enough money to get his
mom and four younger brothers out of the Cove, their low-income housing
project.
Long term, this means the NBA. Short term, it means being a dough
boy--getting paid to play lookout and eventually moving up the rungs of
the neighborhood drug operation with Rollie as his partner.
Roland "Rollie" Matthews used to love playing basketball. He loved the
rhythm of the game, how he came up with his best drumbeats after running
up and down the court. But playing with the elite team comes with extra,
illegal responsibilities, and Rollie isn't sure he's down for that life.
The new talented-and-gifted program, where Rollie has a chance to
audition for a real-life go-go band, seems like the perfect excuse to
stop being a dough boy. But how can he abandon his best friend?
Paula Chase explores universal themes of friendship and budding romance,
while also exploring complex issues that affect many young teens. Full
of basketball, friendship, and daily life in a housing project, this
universal story is perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds's Track series,
Jewell Parker Rhodes's Ghost Boys, and Chris Crutcher*.*
