Language
Status
Available
Awards
Young Hoosier Book Award (Nominee — Middle Grade — 2020)
Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award (Nominee — 2020)
Nutmeg Book Award (Nominee — Middle School — 2021)
Vermont Golden Dome Book Award (Nominee — 2019)
Coretta Scott King Award (Winner — 2018)
Volunteer State Book Award (Nominee — Middle School — 2020)
E.B. White Read-Aloud Award (Honor Book — 2018)
Friends of American Writers Award (Juvenile Book — 2018)
Best Fiction for Young Adults (Selection — 2019)
CCBC Choices (2018)
Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (Selection — 2018)
Kansas NEA Reading Circle Recommended Book (Junior — 2018)
Notable Children's Book (2018)
Nerdy Book Award (Middle Grade Fiction — 2017)
Penn GSE's Best Books for Young Readers (Selection — Middle Grade — 2017)
Project LIT Book Selection (Middle Grade — 2019)
OYAN Book Rave (2018)
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Kids (Fiction for Older Readers — 2017)
Description
Unable to celebrate the holidays in the wake of his older brother's death in a gang-related shooting, Lolly Rachpaul struggles to avoid being forced into a gang himself while constructing a fantastically creative LEGO city at the Harlem community center.
User reviews
LibraryThing member nbmars
12-year-old Wallace (“Lolly”) Rachpaul lives in St. Nicholas Houses, a public housing project in Central Harlem, New York City. He lives alone with his mother; she and Lolly’s dad split up after his mother decided she preferred women. His mother has been in a happy relationship with her
Lolly loves legos, so in an effort to help Lolly cope, Yvonne starts bringing him great big bags full of legos she said that Tuttle’s, the toy store where she worked, was throwing out. She brings more and more, and Lolly starts to build a castle. It gets too big for their apartment, so he begins it again in a storeroom at the community center where he spends after-school.
Every day Lolly adds on to his castle he names “The House of Moneekrom.” He dreams up a whole fantasy world around it, eventually even developing it into a game his after-school mates can play. The storeroom is a refuge for Lolly - not only from his pent-up feelings, but from the predatory world outside on the streets, where he and his friend Vega must constantly dodging rival gangs, bullies, and attempts to recruit them to “crews.” They sympathize with a local wild coyote they see on the streets: “Our coyote was part of a species in danger. Hunted down and shot up. We knew how it felt.”
After a time the social worker, Mr. Ali, lets another classmate, Rose, into the storeroom to use the legos also, much to Lolly’s dismay. Rose is on the autism spectrum, and is suffering from a loss in her own family. At first Lolly is loathe to share with her, but he slowly becomes impressed with Rose and her skills. They come to an understanding and eventually even to a collaboration and friendship.
When a new fitness program decides to move into the center and use the storeroom, Rose and Lolly are told they have to tear down their cities. They are upset, but when Lolly displays parts of his construction at a community fair, pictures of it go viral on social media along with ecstatic commentary. Lolly gets lots of compliments on his art, which helps him feel better about himself. But then the police come to Lolly's apartment, and once again they are facing a catastrophic threat to their family.
Lolly finally opens up about what has kept him feeling so awful about Jermaine, and what he has learned from all that happened since Jermaine's death, especially the long-lasting import of decisions you make. He decides he is not Lolly anymore; he is Wallace.
Evaluation: This is an affecting coming-of-age story about how a young boy and his family learn to cope with the pain of losing a family member to gang violence. The outcome isn't always certain as Lolly struggles with outlets for his anger. Lolly isn’t perfect, but it’s hard not to love him anyway. Rose makes the perfect foil. There are a number of issues to ponder about the moral choices of the characters, which would make this a good option for book clubs.
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girlfriend Yvonne for a long time. But Lolly and his mother both still hurt from the loss of Lolly's brother Jermaine; Jermaine got caught up in gangs and drugs and was shot and killed the previous Halloween. Lolly has still not dealt with the pain and guilt over Jermaine’s death.Lolly loves legos, so in an effort to help Lolly cope, Yvonne starts bringing him great big bags full of legos she said that Tuttle’s, the toy store where she worked, was throwing out. She brings more and more, and Lolly starts to build a castle. It gets too big for their apartment, so he begins it again in a storeroom at the community center where he spends after-school.
Every day Lolly adds on to his castle he names “The House of Moneekrom.” He dreams up a whole fantasy world around it, eventually even developing it into a game his after-school mates can play. The storeroom is a refuge for Lolly - not only from his pent-up feelings, but from the predatory world outside on the streets, where he and his friend Vega must constantly dodging rival gangs, bullies, and attempts to recruit them to “crews.” They sympathize with a local wild coyote they see on the streets: “Our coyote was part of a species in danger. Hunted down and shot up. We knew how it felt.”
After a time the social worker, Mr. Ali, lets another classmate, Rose, into the storeroom to use the legos also, much to Lolly’s dismay. Rose is on the autism spectrum, and is suffering from a loss in her own family. At first Lolly is loathe to share with her, but he slowly becomes impressed with Rose and her skills. They come to an understanding and eventually even to a collaboration and friendship.
When a new fitness program decides to move into the center and use the storeroom, Rose and Lolly are told they have to tear down their cities. They are upset, but when Lolly displays parts of his construction at a community fair, pictures of it go viral on social media along with ecstatic commentary. Lolly gets lots of compliments on his art, which helps him feel better about himself. But then the police come to Lolly's apartment, and once again they are facing a catastrophic threat to their family.
Lolly finally opens up about what has kept him feeling so awful about Jermaine, and what he has learned from all that happened since Jermaine's death, especially the long-lasting import of decisions you make. He decides he is not Lolly anymore; he is Wallace.
Evaluation: This is an affecting coming-of-age story about how a young boy and his family learn to cope with the pain of losing a family member to gang violence. The outcome isn't always certain as Lolly struggles with outlets for his anger. Lolly isn’t perfect, but it’s hard not to love him anyway. Rose makes the perfect foil. There are a number of issues to ponder about the moral choices of the characters, which would make this a good option for book clubs.
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LibraryThing member fingerpost
Wallace "Lolly" Rachpaul lives with his single mother in a Harlem project. He is surrounded by gangs and drugs and violence. He lost his older brother not too long ago and is having difficulty coming to terms with that loss. He he always loved Legos, and the little platic bricks create a channel
He makes a new and unexpected friend as a result of his huge Lego building project, and begins to cope with the loss of his brother, the departure of his father (who does visit), and with the difficulties of living in a dangerous neighborhood.
This is an affirming and uplifting story.
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for him when his mother's girlfriend brings him two trash bags completely filled with random Lego blocks.He makes a new and unexpected friend as a result of his huge Lego building project, and begins to cope with the loss of his brother, the departure of his father (who does visit), and with the difficulties of living in a dangerous neighborhood.
This is an affirming and uplifting story.
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LibraryThing member brangwinn
How do you find your way and take the high road when you live in a project in Harlem? How do you come to terms with your brother’s murder, when you know your brother is involved in criminal activities? Luckily, Lolly is able to think for himself and is surrounded by adults who care for him,
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whether it is his mother, her girlfriend, or the man who owns the bodega where Lolly shops. Moore tells a well thought out story with believable characters. These aren’t goody goody kids, these are real kids with real problems. Show Less
LibraryThing member ShellyPYA
Unable to celebrate the holidays in the wake of his older brother's death in a gang-related shooting, Lolly Rachpaul struggles to avoid being forced into a gang himself while constructing a fantastically creative LEGO city at the Harlem community center.
LibraryThing member electrascaife
Lolly is growing up in projects in Harlem and dealing with the myriad obstacles that this life sets for him: he's working through a depression brought on by the gang-related death of his older brother while trying to stay out of the gangs himself. When his mom's girlfriend brings home two garbage
It took me almost half of the book before I could get into this one - I seriously contemplated abandoning the effort several times. But I stuck with it, and it does get somewhat better in the second half. Still, not - for me at least - as earth-shattering as something like Thomas' The Hate U Give or Reynolds' The Long Way Down.
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bags full of legos, he finds a release and an escape, but others are interested in his building project, too, and he needs to learn how to cope with unexpected new friends, all while negotiating life in the streets of Harlem and his own coming of age.It took me almost half of the book before I could get into this one - I seriously contemplated abandoning the effort several times. But I stuck with it, and it does get somewhat better in the second half. Still, not - for me at least - as earth-shattering as something like Thomas' The Hate U Give or Reynolds' The Long Way Down.
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LibraryThing member acargile
This novel is getting a lot of buzz--on lots of suggested lists of quality books. I didn’t love it like everyone seems to. I didn’t dislike it either--it’s a lovely book, well done, but I wasn’t sucked into the story. I liked The Hate U Give and Dear Martin better--BUT, those are for ages
Lolly’s life is about staying out of the way of the gangs, building lego buildings, and helping his mom, especially now that his brother is dead, killed in a gang killing. In Harlem it’s hard not to join a “crew”--life is about survival and these gangs become family. After school, Lolly goes to the community center to “stay out of trouble.” He enjoys it and has his friends there.
On Christmas Eve, Lolly’s mother’s girlfriend brings him a gift--a huge bag of legos. As he deals with grief and avoiding being recruited beaten up, Lolly likes to build with legos. Creativity is his freedom. When he fills up the apartment with his lego city, Lollly’s mother insists the monstrosity move. The leader of the community center agrees to let him build there. It’s here where his creativity is acknowledged, opening doors for his future.
I really liked the ending of the novel because it’s so positive. Lolly discovers true friendship and how common interests bind us together, even those of us who have disabilities. This would be a good novel to read with a friend or in a book group.
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13+. This novel is on those same lines but more for middle school. Don’t misunderstand me--it’s a really good story. Lolly’s life is about staying out of the way of the gangs, building lego buildings, and helping his mom, especially now that his brother is dead, killed in a gang killing. In Harlem it’s hard not to join a “crew”--life is about survival and these gangs become family. After school, Lolly goes to the community center to “stay out of trouble.” He enjoys it and has his friends there.
On Christmas Eve, Lolly’s mother’s girlfriend brings him a gift--a huge bag of legos. As he deals with grief and avoiding being recruited beaten up, Lolly likes to build with legos. Creativity is his freedom. When he fills up the apartment with his lego city, Lollly’s mother insists the monstrosity move. The leader of the community center agrees to let him build there. It’s here where his creativity is acknowledged, opening doors for his future.
I really liked the ending of the novel because it’s so positive. Lolly discovers true friendship and how common interests bind us together, even those of us who have disabilities. This would be a good novel to read with a friend or in a book group.
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LibraryThing member ewyatt
Lolly is grieving over his dead older brother, who was murdered at a night club. He thinks he's a little old for Legos but finds building an escape. At his after school program, he is given a space by Mr, Ali to build. It helps the bad inside him. When he becomes friendly with Big Rose after they
These two quotes resonated, “The folks you hang with can raise you up or bring you down low. Over time, they can make you think a certain way - change who you really are?” (p. 287)
“the decisions you make can become your life. Your choices are you.” (p. 288)
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begin to build together, he slowly starts to heal and believe maybe there is a way out for him. His mom works hard. He and his best friend, Vega, are harassed and jumped by two older boys and they have to decide about joining a set for protection. Knowing that will lead both of them on a oath they shouldn't be on...they try to figure out a way to design their own paths. These two quotes resonated, “The folks you hang with can raise you up or bring you down low. Over time, they can make you think a certain way - change who you really are?” (p. 287)
“the decisions you make can become your life. Your choices are you.” (p. 288)
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LibraryThing member ChristianR
Lolly's brother took the path of drugs and gangs, and how he's dead. It's getting harder for Lolly to avoid the same path when his anger weighs him down, especially when gangs from a different neighborhood target him and his friend Vega. Luckily, lego building provides an outlet for Lolly after his
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brother is killed. Show Less
LibraryThing member stevesbookstuff
This is a book I likely never would have read if it hadn't been a Pride Month recommendation on the Libby app. I read the description and it seemed like it might be interesting, and when I saw that it was on hold I became intrigued about what other people saw in this book that it would be on hold
I'm glad I read this book. At the start of the book Lolly Rockpaul has lost his older brother to gang violence. The story is one of both growing up and dealing with the loss of someone close to you. The characters are believable and the writing is excellent. Key characters include Lolly's after school mate and special needs student Rose and his best friend Vega.
Nile Bullock does the narration of the audiobook and did a fantastic job.
While this is a novel marketed to young adults I think the story would appeal to any age. As for the Pride Month recommendation, that comes about because Lolly's mother is in a relationship with another woman, and the girlfriend plays a pivotal role in setting the stage for Lolly's success in dealing with his brother's loss. There are other gay characters in the novel as well. All are dealt with matter of factly as seen through Lolly's eyes.
There are all kinds of things going on in this book, and I've seen criticism in other reviews that the plot bounces around too much, or that the characters with differences are not treated positively in all cases. I did not see it that way at all. The side plots and smaller stories enriched the overall understanding of the main character and his journey, while the multitude of characters seen throughout the book are seen through the eyes of a twelve year old and added to the realism of the story. I will grant you that some of the plot points are dealt with more superficially than I liked, particularly the story about Vega and the gun. Overall though I really enjoyed this story and would recommend it to others.
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from the library three years after it had been released.I'm glad I read this book. At the start of the book Lolly Rockpaul has lost his older brother to gang violence. The story is one of both growing up and dealing with the loss of someone close to you. The characters are believable and the writing is excellent. Key characters include Lolly's after school mate and special needs student Rose and his best friend Vega.
Nile Bullock does the narration of the audiobook and did a fantastic job.
While this is a novel marketed to young adults I think the story would appeal to any age. As for the Pride Month recommendation, that comes about because Lolly's mother is in a relationship with another woman, and the girlfriend plays a pivotal role in setting the stage for Lolly's success in dealing with his brother's loss. There are other gay characters in the novel as well. All are dealt with matter of factly as seen through Lolly's eyes.
There are all kinds of things going on in this book, and I've seen criticism in other reviews that the plot bounces around too much, or that the characters with differences are not treated positively in all cases. I did not see it that way at all. The side plots and smaller stories enriched the overall understanding of the main character and his journey, while the multitude of characters seen throughout the book are seen through the eyes of a twelve year old and added to the realism of the story. I will grant you that some of the plot points are dealt with more superficially than I liked, particularly the story about Vega and the gun. Overall though I really enjoyed this story and would recommend it to others.
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LibraryThing member jennybeast
Well, dang, there's a lot to unpack out of this book -- kind of a downer, to be honest, and kind of soaringly exciting hopeful, too. Lolly is grieving for his brother, Jermaine, shot in a club. He's trying to hang on to his friend Vega and to avoid joining a crew. His mother's girlfriend starts
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bringing him trash bags full of legos and from there his imagination and his buildings just take off. Inspiring, but harsh, harsh, the life in NYC poverty. Show Less
Publication
New York : Alfred A. Knopf, [2017]
ISBN
9781524701277
Physical description
294 p.; 22 inches
