This thought-provoking companion novel to the Coretta Scott King Award-winning Bronx Masquerade shows the capacity poetry has to express ideas and feelings, and reminds one and all that the greatest common denominator is the human heart. “These complex students use poetry to find their truest voices and write their own stories.”—School Library Journal “Aptly describes inner-city problems, from police discrimination to gangs, but the teens are the focal point of the novel.”—Booklist Words Rock Classroom! That’s a headline Darrian Lopez might write after spending time in Mr. Ward’s class, known for its open-mic poetry readings. Darrian’s there hoping to hone his writing skills so that someday he can report for the New York Times. As the students start telling their stories, Darrian observes that despite their differences, they’re all just trying to do their best in a world full of challenges, be it from their family dynamics, an unfair judicial system, or their own personal demons.