A Newbery Honor Book. "Two black eighth-grade boys in New York--one a neurotic, obese, musical prodigy, the other a homeless, tough-minded child of the streets--are the protagonists in an extraordinary story of heroism and survival and the interdependence of human beings".--ALA Notable Children's Books Committee.Ages 8-12.

The recipient of nearly every major award and honor in her field, including the 1992 Hans Christian Andersen Award, Virginia Hamilton (1934–2002) was the first African American woman to be awarded the Newbery Medal, for M.C. Higgins, the Great. Renowned as a storyteller, anthologist, and lecturer as well as a novelist, Ms. Hamilton made her home in Yellow Springs, Ohio.