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2025 SLJ Best Young Adult BooksDiego Benevides works hard. His single mother encourages him to stay focused on school, on getting into college, on getting out of their crumbling neighborhood. That's why she gave him her car.Diego's best friend, Lawson, needs a ride--because Lawson is dealing. As long as Diego's not carrying, not selling, it's cool. It's just weed.But when Lawson starts carrying powder and pills and worse, their friendship is tested and their lives are threatened. As the lines between dealer and driver blur, everything Diego has worked for is jeopardized, and he faces a deadly reckoning with the choices he and his best friend have made.Award-winning memoirist and poet Rex Ogle's searing first novel-in-verse is an unforgettable story of the power and price of loyalty.

A Printz Award Honor BookA Stonewall Book Award Honor BookHorn Book Fanfare Best Book of the YearA Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the YearA School Library Journal Best Book of the YearAn Amazon Best Book of the YearA Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book of the YearThis final, essential chapter in Rex Ogle’s memoir trilogy recounts being forced from his home and living on the streets after his father discovered he was gay.When Rex was outed the summer after he graduated high school, his father gave him a choice: he could stay at home, find a girlfriend, and attend church twice a week, or he could be gay—and leave. Rex left, driving toward the only other gay man he knew and a toxic relationship that would ultimately leave him homeless and desperate on the streets of New Orleans.Here, Rex tells the story of his coming out and his father’s rejection of his identity, navigating abuse and survival on the streets. Road Home is a devastating and incandescent reflection on Rex’s hunger—for

From Rex Ogle and Dave Valeza, the creators of Four Eyes, comes the second book in this humorous and heartfelt middle-school memoir trilogy.Just can't face it!On the first day of seventh grade, Rex encounters a bump in the road -- a big angry pimple right in the center of his forehead. And this is only the beginning of his problems. What follows is a frustrating battle with stubborn acne, body odor, and other embarrassments of puberty. Still struggling with a home life edging on the poverty line, Rex can't afford to buy the acne medication or deodorant he needs, and bullies are noticing Rex's awkward transformation. On top of it all, things have gotten weird with his friends, making Rex feel like he can't do or say anything right. So far, seventh grade stinks!

A humorous and heartwarming middle-grade graphic memoir about fitting in, facing bullies, and finding the right pair of glasses.El sexto grado no es tan genial como Rex penso que seria. Es el unico chico que no ha dado el estiron, y los abusones se lo recordaran a cada instante. Ya no puede confiar en su mejor amigo, y no puede dejar de pensar en una linda chica de su clase, que es posible este interesada en el. Con tantas cosas sucediendo, a Rex todo le resulta borroso, ¡hasta su vision! Entonces descubre que necesita usar gafas, y su familia solo puede comprarle el par mas feo de la tienda. Cualquier esperanza que Rex tuviera de encajar se desvanece por completo.En esta historia real sobre la adolescencia, Rex tiene la vista puesta en sobrevivir el sexto grado, pero ahora tiene que encontrar la manera de hacerlo con gafas, sin amigos y con una familia que simplemente no lo entiende.Sixth grade isn't as great as Rex thought it would be. He's the only kid who hasn't had a growth spurt,