Member Reviews
Aww this volume is so emotional. I liked it more than the first because it has all of the first and more. I love books with lots of different characters and now the club gets more members.
Eric is facing a lot of big changes: divorced parents, a new house, a new part of New York, and a new school. A fancy snob for wealthy kids he lets the new gang upgrade his nickname from Doodles to Sketch because Eric wants to belong and they are the cool ones. But they are also mean vandals who don't care about anything and tag the city as a challenge (graffiti). Eric feels divided and ditches his old life and friends in the worst possible way, to become a jerk himself.
The first half of the book is focused on relationships, friends, girlfriends, kissing, and love interests of almost all characters kids and adults (even a flashback story) all different stories of love. The other half is about redemption and saving the city with lots of action and fights. I'm glad Eric stood up to do what was right and discovered who his real friends were.
The book has illustrations like the first volume.
Explores themes such as: dealing with big changes, loss, divorce, new school, new friends, the pressure of social belonging and being accepted by peers, balancing two different crews and life, social shaming, social media, very New Yorker culture: art (doodling, sketching, graffiti, language), love interest, kissing, first chin/mustache hairs, knowing right from wrong and choosing to do right and ask forgiveness, friendship, inclusiveness, family values, accepting change with positivity, protecting one's community.
Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this e-ARC.