Synopses & Reviews
Review
What makes this novel distinctive . . . is the authenticity of Kid's voice. Some of the expressions and language are local to the east Texas hip-hop community . . . but most of the vocabulary is popular urban slang, and Kid B does a good job of describing the various break dance moves that he names, such as windmills, bellymills, suicides, etc. Kid's narration is fully stylized insider hip-hop fo' shizzle, making this an informative ethnography of b-boy culture for outsiders, and a great way to entice readers who are more at home on cardboard than carpet.
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Synopsis
B-boying is the only thing seventeen-year-old Kid B has ever been any good atbut thats nothin to floss about in his racially charged eastern Texas town in the rust belt. Hes been called wigger” and jigaboo,” but race doesnt matter to Kid. Or his krew. What matters is that they represent at the upcoming Throw Downone of the most cutthroat hip-hop dance competitions in the nationand that they hold their own against rivals Magno Clique, the roughest gang of b-boyers in town.
Over a hot summer, friendly challenges between the two gangs turn bloody. And though hes just trying to keep it together with his messed-up family, his friends, and his new girlfriend, Kid is forced to figure out the next steps in his life.
About the Author
Linden Dalecki directed and edited the documentary Breakin' Away, which screened at the Cannes Short Film Corner and is featured in the full-length Texas b-boy documentary Inside the Circle (2006). Kid B, his first novel, evolved from his story "The BBoys of Beaumont," a firstplace winner in the Austin Chronicle's short story contest. Growing up inside the D.C. beltway, Linden b-boyed his way through junior high and high school. Now he writes and lives in Austin, Texas.