The Prince of Steel Pier was a solid Middle Grade Debut about Joey Goodman, a thirteen-year-old Jewish kid who is spending his summer in Atlantic City in the 70's, working at his Grandparents' struggling hotel with his older brothers. He's reached the age where he's too old to be babied like his younger brother and too young to be given a load of responsibility like his older brothers. He's in that middle place where it feels like no one respects him. But while playing skee ball at a local bar, he gets noticed by a bunch of mafia guys who thinks he's a "Good Man." He gets hired to tour the mob boss's daughter around the city and gets in way over his head. This was a heartfelt and honest story about trusting in family and being wary of things that sound "too good to be true."

A fun ride from start to finish!

I read this book in a single day, which should tell you everything you need to know about how captivating THE PRINCE OF STEEL PIER is as Nockowitz weaves an utterly delightful storyline in the unlikeliest of settings. This has all the historical feels while providing every bit of excitement you’d feel if you were meeting Joey and his wonderful Jewish family today.

Speaking of Joey, the 13-year-old protagonist is utterly relatable. I so wanted to be friends with him and his energy kept me glued as he dealt with family, a new friend, and some figures that gave me the chills.

I can’t wait to read what the author comes up with next, but whatever that may be, know that you should read this book NOW. You won’t regret it!

THE PRINCE OF STEEL PIER is an atmospheric portrait of New Jersey in the 1970s, set just before the legalization of gambling brought big casinos to the once-glamorous, then struggling Atlantic City. The specific and authentic details woven throughout the prose bring the setting to life— I wasn't surprised to learn that the St. Bonaventure hotel was based on a real place from the author's childhood.

I knew very little about Atlantic City's backstory going into this book, but the lively dialogue and gritty descriptions drew me in, and now I find myself wanting to learn more. This is going to be a great read for kid readers, especially those interested in mysteries, histories, and Skeeball machines.

Joey's journey of spending the summer at his grandparents' struggling hotel in Atlantic City is such a fun ride. We get to see through the character a commentary on toxic masculinity and fake bravado. He gets to learn what it really means to be a man--and how that ties into family and friendship and never fighting alone. All together a really sweet story.

Responsible decision making is so important, and I think that this YA story demonstrates how impulsiveness can impact individual sovereignty and mental health. I think there are a lot of great life lessons in this book.

I have been in a reading slump all month.

Literally all month I've been trying to find something that grabs me, and I just could not find anything. And then I found this book.

I had actually seen it in an article about the cover reveal a few months ago and while initially, I didn't think to add it to my TBR, it made an impression on me, and I did keep thinking about it. Fast forward just a few days ago, I was looking through books on NetGalley when I recognize it. I saw that it was one of NetGalley's "read now" books and I figured, why not? I was already in a reading slump, maybe this would get me out of it.

Holy cow did it get me out of my reading slump.

I flew through it in just a few days, and I adored every page of it. I loved Joey, I loved his family, I loved the setting and the plot and—can you tell I loved this book?

Good for fans of Gennifer Choldenko's Al Capone Does My Shirts.

The Prince of Steel Pier is an enjoyable middle grades novel, characters-centered and creative. Well worth sharing.

Being from Atlantic City, New Jersey myself, I thoroughly enjoyed this middle-grade chapter book about the Steel Pier! It was fun and easy to read, the vocabulary wasn’t too complicated.