Rooftop

Volponi, Paul. Rooftop. New York, N.Y.: Viking, 2006.

Reuniting with his cousin in a drug rehab program leads 17-year-old Clay on heartbreaking journey that tests his courage, and his beliefs.

Clay is ecstatic when he walks into his rehab program one day to find his cousin Addison has joined the program. They were inseparable as young boys until their mothers had a falling out. For years, they had barely seen each other. Their friendship is renewed, their mothers make amends, and everything is going great until one tragic night when an unarmed Addison is shot to death by police. For devastated Clay, who was with Addison when he died, the world begins to spin out of control. He faces life-changing choices about staying true to himself, staying sober, and following through on a goal of Addison’s. Clay reflects:

I knew part of the truth was locked up inside of me. I didn’t know if it would ever find a way out, or how things would come back on me if it did, but that hole in the middle of my chest had stopped aching. And I started to believe that if I faced up to everything staring me down, it might even close up one day.

What Clay decides to do effects his family, his friends, and his future.

Awards
New York City Library's Book for the Teen Age;Junior Library Guild selection, 2006; American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults, 2007; American Library Association Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, 2007; Gateway Readers Award nominee, 2008-2009.

Cover photos © Sami Sarkis/Getty Images and Mark Cooper, 2006.
Cover design by Nancy Brennan.
Scanned May 11, 2009.

Volponi, Paul. Rooftop. New York, N.Y.: Viking, 2006. 979-0-14-240844-5. $6.99. Paperback.