(2) YA Jayson's mom beats the crap out of him, and his dad is too strung out to care. It's only Jayson's buddy, Trax, and his girlfriend, April, who keep the sixteen-year-old from leaping off the rail of the breezeway outside his high-rise apartment. Adoff's free-verse narrative is brutal and beautiful, intense and honest, and ultimately uplifting, as Jayson climbs out of the abyss.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2008

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Mike Reed. Poems from the perspective of the little guy: too short for amusement park rides, too small to stand up to bullies--but just the right size to play in a homemade fort or scoot through bigger kids' legs to the front of the ice-cream line. Adoff's writing captures childhood feelings and sensibilities, while Reed's colorful textured art adds action and humor.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(2) YA In a single day at Rockville High--the one-year anniversary of a student's death in a school shooting--one student rises from the bottom of the heap while the star quarterback comes crashing down. Interweaving the stories of four struggling teens, Adoff finds the right rhythm for each inner voice and the final outcome is not quite what we expect. Readers will be swept into this high-stakes drama.

Reviewer: Lauren Adams | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2004