Uptown Dreams

Gr 9 Up—La-La is a talented singer with an absent mother and a sister battling cancer; Reese, a classically trained musician, has to sneak around a strict mother to pursue a love of hip-hop; Ziggy, a talented dancer, hides his passion from his Jamaican family because he's worried they'll think he's gay; and JamaicaKincaid wants so desperately to act that she's run away from her Connecticut boarding school to try and make it in New York on her own. All four students attend the Harlem Academy of Creative and Performing Arts, determined to fulfill their artistic dreams no matter what obstacles are placed in their way. Told in short alternating chapters by each character, the story lines get lost in the choppy narrative, but all four characters have encounters with the Sandman, the mythical "unofficial mayor of Harlem," who occasionally offers advice. A romance between La-La and Ziggy will pique readers' interest, but predictable triumphs and run-of-the-mill drama keep this story from achieving star status.—Shawna Sherman, Hayward Public Library, CA