Tight ~ Torrey Maldonado

In this novel, author (and New York teacher!) Torrey Maldonado, does an incredible job of capturing the challenges middle school students face every day as they try to find a balance between being themselves and being liked.

Sixth grader Bryan lives in the projects of New York. He's close with his mom, but things with his dad are more complicated. His dad often hangs out on street corners, gets in fights, and ends up in jail. Bryan does his best to stay out of trouble and do well in school, but things start to change when he meets a classmate named Mike. Suddenly, Bryan finds himself feeling pressured to skip school, steal, and act "tough" just so Mike will like him.

Bryan struggles to determine if Mike is a true friend, and he also struggles to be true to himself. Every middle school reader will see themself in Bryan, and they will grow alongside him.

I highly recommend this one for your library, and it could also work well as a read aloud! 

Maturity: 1/4

This novel is ideal for age 10+. Although there is mention of fighting and Bryan’s dad does go to prison, nothing specific is ever described in detail. There is no mature violence in the novel. 

Pages: 192

Lexile: 600L

Lexile is a score that helps educators and parents match students with an appropriate text. A Lexile score is a measure of both a child’s reading ability and a text difficulty. However, Lexile does not take into account the content of a novel. So, pairing readers with a text is a complex process, and knowledge of a novel’s themes and plot is necessary to make a high-quality recommendation.

If you are curious about the grade-level equivalent to Lexile scores, check out the conversion chart here!

Happy Reading!

♥ Kara & Riley