Jason Reynolds meets Karen McManus in this commercial blockbuster YA mystery thriller that follows three boys of colour at a Washington DC charter school who are forced to investigate their principal's murder in a high-stakes twenty-four hour period, in order to clear their own names.
Review
Thrilling, captivating, and blade-sharp. Promise Boys will stay with you long after the last page. -- Karen M. McManus, #1 New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying
The path to manhood has never felt more ominous than it does in Promise Boys. I was at the edge of my seat trying to figure out if I was reading a story about boys becoming men or boys becoming killers-you will be too. A brilliant pulls-no-punches mystery with bruised hearts at its core. -- Adam Silvera, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of They Both Die at the End
There's nothing like a book that manages to flawlessly thread subtle social commentary through a propulsive plot carried by complex characters. Promise Boys does that ten times over, and I can't wait to see this expertly crafted mystery take the world over... while teaching us a thing or two about what it means to be a boy of color in 21st century America. -- Nic Stone, New York Times-bestselling author of Dear Martin
"Nothing short of astounding. Promise Boys is a spellbinding, propulsive mystery while simultaneously presenting a searing critique of structural injustice, viewed through the eyes of the young men who live with it. I recommend it to anyone who loves books or doesn’t," -- Jeff Zentner, award-winning author of The Serpent King and In the Wild Light
Promise Boys is an edge-of-your-seats, street-smart, exploding-with-talent novel. Three young men fight to overcome the way the world looks at them and become each other’s hope in the process. -- Francisco X. Stork, author of On the Hook
Editor's Choice - Both an astonishingly tense thriller as well as a critique of the charter school system - The Bookseller
If there is a book to fall in love with next year I promise you that it's Promise Boys by Nick Brooks. A YA Thriller, three Black and Brown boys as the protagonists, a page-turner and the voice of every character is brilliant. -- Abiola Bello - Author of the Emily Knight series and The Very Merry Murder Club
This smart, tense thriller takes a sharp look at how American society treats boys of colour. -- Fiona Noble - The Guardian
Review
Thrilling, captivating, and blade-sharp. Promise Boys will stay with you long after the last page. -- Karen M. McManus, #1 New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying
The path to manhood has never felt more ominous than it does in Promise Boys. I was at the edge of my seat trying to figure out if I was reading a story about boys becoming men or boys becoming killers-you will be too. A brilliant pulls-no-punches mystery with bruised hearts at its core. -- Adam Silvera, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of They Both Die at the End
There's nothing like a book that manages to flawlessly thread subtle social commentary through a propulsive plot carried by complex characters. Promise Boys does that ten times over, and I can't wait to see this expertly crafted mystery take the world over... while teaching us a thing or two about what it means to be a boy of color in 21st century America. -- Nic Stone, New York Times-bestselling author of Dear Martin
"Nothing short of astounding. Promise Boys is a spellbinding, propulsive mystery while simultaneously presenting a searing critique of structural injustice, viewed through the eyes of the young men who live with it. I recommend it to anyone who loves books or doesn’t," -- Jeff Zentner, award-winning author of The Serpent King and In the Wild Light
Promise Boys is an edge-of-your-seats, street-smart, exploding-with-talent novel. Three young men fight to overcome the way the world looks at them and become each other’s hope in the process. -- Francisco X. Stork, author of On the Hook
Editor's Choice - Both an astonishingly tense thriller as well as a critique of the charter school system - The Bookseller
If there is a book to fall in love with next year I promise you that it's Promise Boys by Nick Brooks. A YA Thriller, three Black and Brown boys as the protagonists, a page-turner and the voice of every character is brilliant. -- Abiola Bello - Author of the Emily Knight series and The Very Merry Murder Club
About the Author
Nick Brooks is an author and award-winning filmmaker from Washington, DC, Promise Boys is his first YA debut. He is a 2020 graduate of USC's TV and Film Production program. His short film, Hoop Dreamin', earned him the George Lucas Scholar Award and was a finalist in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Film Fest. He is currently in development for his first feature film, We Were Born Kings, with Mandalay Pictures. Before becoming a filmmaker, Nick was an educator working with at-risk youth and many of his stories are colored by his experiences with the children and families of his community.