Paul Volponi Books In Order

Rikers High

Martin was sitting on the front stoop of his apartment building minding his own business when he was arrested for something he didn’t even mean to do. Five months later, he’s still locked up on Rikers Island, in a New York City jail. Just when it seems things couldn’t get much worse, Martin is caught between two warring prisoners, and his face is slashed. Now he’ll be forever marked with a prison scar. One good thing comes from the attack: Martin is transferred to a different part of Rikers where inmates are required to attend high school. If Martin opens up to a teacher who really seems to care, perhaps he’ll learn a lesson more valuable than any taught in class.

An award-winning author, Paul Volponi is uniquely qualified to tell Martin’s story because he taught on Rikers Island for six years. He originally wrote Rikers for an adult audience. The book has been revised for young adults and is being republished as Rikers High.

Black and White

Marcus and Eddie are best friends. They re also stars on the basketball court, where they re known as Black and White. Race has never been an issue: Marcus is black, Eddie is white, but it doesn t matter. Until they start to pull stickups for extra pocket cash and the gun they re using goes off. Now Marcus is going to jail and Eddie is going to college, even though Eddie is the one who fired the gun. Told in their two voices, Black and White is the gripping story of two good boys who make a bad mistake. It’s also a heart breaking look at the realities of the urban criminal justice system. Written with passion and uncanny authenticity, this is Paul Volponi s debut young adult novel.

Rooftop

Clay is committed to cleaning up his act. He’s at Daytop, a drug treatment facility, working towards getting his GED and kicking his drug habit. Then one day his estranged cousin, Addison, shows up at the program. Addison s a bigger, bolder version of Clay: he s older, he s into harder drugs, and he s in more trouble. That trouble comes to a head one tragic night on a Rooftop when Addison is shot by the police as Clay stands just a few steps away. Addison wasn t armed. He didn t deserve to die. But was he completely innocent? And what will prove more difficult for Clay living a lie, or facing the truth?

Rucker Park Setup

Rucker Park a place where basketball’s greatest pro players go up against street legends. Best friends Mackey and J.R. have waited their whole lives to win the basketball tournament here. But when the day of an important game arrives, J.R. is fatally stabbed. While Mackey didn t wield the knife, he feels responsible. Now he has a score to settle, but the killer is watching his every move. Mackey is determined to finish the final game of the Rucker Park Tournament on his own terms. The question is, can he do it?

Hurricane Song

Miles has only been living with his musician father in New Orleans for two months when Hurricane Katrina hits and they haven t really been getting along. His dad lives for jazz, while Miles first love is football. But father and son must set aside their differences when they seek refuge in the crowded Superdome.

What begins as a safe haven from the storm soon turns into a nightmare as the power fails and gangs of thugs compete for turf. When his father decides to rebel, Miles must make a choice that will alter their relationship and both of their lives forever.

From award winning author Paul Volponi comes this tale of how low humanity can sink in desperate times and how loudly hope can sing against the howl of tragedy.

Volponi’s excellent novel has it all: authentic characters, a thought provoking plot, and heartbreaking drama. Publishers Weekly, starred review on Black and White

The Hand You’re Dealt

When Huck Porter’s dad suddenly dies, it feels like nothing will ever make sense again. Huck’s ‘best friend’ thinks that Huck should just get over it, the girl he likes won’t give him the time of day, and his mom now works all hours at a roadside diner to make ends meet. The only thing that still makes sense for Huck is the game his dad taught him, the game they spent hours playing together: Texas hold’em.

Worse than all of that, though, is Huck’s math teacher, Mr. Abbott a hungry card shark with an ego to match his appetite. He now wears the local poker tournament’s first prize, a silver watch that Huck’s dad wore proudly for three years. So Huck hatches a plan to knock Abbott off his throne and win back the watch. Only, bluffing his way into the tournament will mean lying to everyone Huck knows. But as Huck gets deeper in the tournament and starts to lose himself in the cards, he begins to wonder who he’ll be when the last hand is played.

Raw and gritty, Paul Volponi’s novel about grief, family, and poker is an adrenaline rush that starts with a bang and doesn’t let up until the final page is turned. A coming of age story set at a card table, The Hand You’re Dealt will leave readers wondering what they would risk in a game.

Response

Noah and his friends go to a predominantly white neighborhood with a plan: steal a car, sell it to a chop shop, and make some fast cash. But that never happens. Instead, Noah, a teen father, is the victim of a vicious beating that leaves him with a fractured skull. Was the attacker just protecting his turf, or did he assault Noah because he’s black? Awardwinning author Paul Volponi, known for his brutally honest portrayals of the moral complexities of urban life, uses alternating perspective to give readers a fascinating and chilling insight into the minds of those on both sides of a hate crime.

Homestretch

A runaway boy with nothing finds everything he needs, including a family, in the most unlikely of places at a racetrack.