My daughter and I read this together. I asked what she would rate it and what she thought. She said 5 stars even though it wasn't her type of book initially.

Isaiah is almost 11 years old. His father died in the past year, and his mother isn't coping well and is drinking a lot. She lost her job, and the whole family was evicted from their apartment, and now they are living in the Smoky Inn, as Isaiah dubs it.

Isaiah is helping his mom by trying to earn money to get the family into stable housing. His arch nemesis Angel might actually have a heart, and he and his friend Sneaky hustle candy at lunch.

Can Isaiah help honor his father the writer and get his mom the help she needs?