1016 Balmoral Road, Victoria, BC, Canada V8T 1A8
1016 Balmoral Road, Victoria, BC, Canada V8T 1A8
Jesse is a sneakerhead without the sneakers.
After his parents were killed in an accident three years ago, Jesse went to live with his grandfather, and it wasn’t long before the insurance money ran out. That meant no money for new threads or fresh kicks. Now with summer in swing, Jesse has been saving for new sneakers. He’ll finally be able to keep up with the rest of the kids at his school, especially his best friend, Tay Matthews, whose sneaker collection could be housed in a museum. But then his grandpa’s WiFi is cut off and Jesse has to hand over his savings to pay the bill. It looks like Jesse’s plan for new shoes is trashed. That’s until nineteen-year-old smooth-talking Derick rolls into town. With new threads and a fresh ride, Derick shows the boys there’s more than one way to get what you want. And Jesse must decide how much he is willing to pay.
Julie Thompson is a Canadian author of books for children and youth. She has worked with those age groups for over twenty-seven years and is a police officer and a youth communication specialist. As a mother of two boys, it’s very important to Julie to create stories that resonate with young readers and focus on diverse characters, everyday obstacles and some of the larger issues that marginalized and racialized individuals experience. In 2018 the City of Markham honored Julie for her outstanding work with youth within the Black community. Julie lives in Toronto with her children.
