The Key to Garbage Court

An unflinchingly honest, big-hearted novel in verse about a boy living in poverty who refuses to let the world’s expectations define him, perfect for fans of Crenshaw.

Everyone calls it Garbage Court because nothing good ever happens there. Still, Mason and his family are doing their best to make their apartment in the condemned building feel like home. Mason is used to people deciding who he is before he even speaks: the angry troublemaker who’ll never succeed, the kid from the bad side of town. But Mason is too busy to care (much)—he’s keeping his little brother and sister safe, holding things together while Mom is sick and Dad’s out of work, and trying to stay out of fights so he won’t get put in foster care like his older sister.

So when two college girls show up on his block with big books and bigger ideas, Mason doesn’t trust them for a second. Kids like him, with their hand-me-down clothes and kitchen-table haircuts, are easy targets. And Mason refuses to let anyone mess with his family. He’ll protect them no matter what…even if it means stepping straight into trouble.