From Goodreads,"Tight: Lately, Bryan's been feeling it in all kinds of ways . . .
Bryan knows what's tight for him--reading comics, drawing superheroes, and hanging out with no drama. But drama is every day where he's from, and that gets him tight, wound up.
And now Bryan's friend Mike pressures him with ideas of fun that are crazy risky. At first, it's a rush following Mike, hopping turnstiles, subway surfing, and getting into all kinds of trouble. But Bryan never really feels right acting so wrong, and drama really isn't him. So which way will he go, especially when his dad tells him it's better to be hard and feared than liked?
But if there's one thing Bryan's gotten from his comic heroes, it's that he has power--to stand up for what he feels . . .
Torrey Maldonado delivers a fast-paced, insightful, dynamic story capturing urban community life. Readers will connect with Bryan's journey as he navigates a tough world with a heartfelt desire for a different life."
Goodreads - Tight
School is definitely underway, and I am in a new teaching position. I teach Language Arts and have 65 kids. Needless to say, I am really pushing reading and getting students to find a book they enjoy. I've noticed that I really lack books that appeal to boys, and this book was one I purchased from Scholastic in hopes that a boy would enjoy it.
Tight is about a boy named Bryan who loves comics and staying out of the drama. Bryan is growing up in the projects in New York and he doesn't have many friends. Bryan's parents decide he should meet Mike who they think is a great kid and would be a wonderful friend for Bryan. As they spend time together Bryan gets strange feelings about Mike, and before long they are getting into all kinds of trouble. Bryan must decide if he is going to continue following Mike or stand up to him.
This book had a huge friendship and peer pressure message. I feel like, at the middle school age, many boys are trying to find the group of friends they belong with. Sometimes this means doing stupid stuff to fit in, and more often than not, it is peer pressure that pushes them to make the stupid decision. Bryan really struggles with right and wrong and feeling like he needs to do what Mike does to fit in. I think quite a few boys and some girls feel this way at this age. Peer pressure is something that happens very subtly and by the time you realize that you were pushed into doing something, it is too late. Bryan also struggles to find friends that he should be hanging out with, instead of the ones that are "cool". I have seen so many kids hang with the wrong crowd because they wanted to fit in and be popular. Sometimes the people they are hanging with are mean and can influence a good kid to do some terrible things. This book really pushes learning that feeling in your gut of right and wrong. It also has a strong message of finding friends that share common interests with you and are uplifting instead of trying to tear you down. We all need positive people around us to keep us motivated and moving forward toward our best selves.
While this book had some wonderful messages about friendship and peer pressure, I really struggled with the slang in this book. I am from a small town in Arkansas and we definitely have an accent and we definitely say some words weird. This book was loaded with slang that was completely foreign to me. The book used words and acronyms like "OD" or "moms" or "stuck on stupid". I felt SOOOO old while I was reading this book. I had no idea what the majority of the slang meant. I'm hoping that it is really just a geographical thing and not that I'm getting old. I honestly feel like some of my students would be questioning what some of the words meant. I know I was.
All in all, this book was just okay. It didn't resonate with me and leave a big lasting impression. It wasn't terrible, and it had some really good messages. I have to give this 2 stars. I will be putting this in my classroom library. Only time will tell if it becomes a popular read.
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