Puss Reboots: Blog: February 2021: Concrete Rose

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Ascender, Volume 3: The Digital Mage by Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen Audubon Cat by Mary Calhoun and Susan Bonners
The Canyon's Edge by Dusti Bowling
Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas
A Curious Incident by Vicki Delany
Delicious in Dungeon, Volume 7 by Ryoko Kui
Delivery to the Lost City by P.G. Bell Hatch by Kenneth Oppel and Sophie Amoss (Narrator)
The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick
Made You Look by Diane Roberts
Moriarty the Patriot, Volume 1 by Ryōsuke Takeuchi and Hikaru Miyoshi
Muffin But Murder by Victoria Hamilton
Muted by Tami Charles
The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage by Derek Landy
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
The 117-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton
One Poison Pie by Lynn Cahoon
Santa's Husband by Daniel Kibblesmith and A.P. Quach
The Scarecrow of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Speculative Los Angeles edited by Denise Hamilton
Spells and Scones by Bailey Cates and Amy Rubinate (Narrator)
Sprinkle with Murder by Jenn McKinlay
Stuck on Murder by Lucy Lawrence
Sunny Rolls the Dice by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm
Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All by Laura Ruby
This Spell Can't Last by Isabel Sterling
We Could Be Heroes by Mike Chen
White Nights by Ann Cleeves

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January 2021 Sources

January 2021 Summary

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Concrete Rose: 02/15/21

Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas is the prequel to The Hate U Give (2017). Set in 1999/2000 it covers the time when Maverick Carter went from being a teen with gang ties to being a father of a newborn with a second one on the way. This book is Seven and Starr's origin story.

In the original novel, I admit I wasn't very fond of Starr's parents. They weren't the main point, though, so I let my own reaction slide. Starr loved them and they loved her and that was enough. Concrete Rose fills in the gaps and makes Maverick and Lisa understandable and their relationship relatable.

Maverick does an amazing job as a teen father, especially in the early days when Iesha wants nothing to do with him or their son. He also takes the personal hit of not being able to graduate high school. Although he wasn't prepared for fatherhood he stepped up and accepted his role in life the instant he had to. Maverick, while young, ends up being one of the best fathers I've read in young adult fiction.

Five stars