Dear Martin

A summer heatwave blankets New York City in darkness. But as the city is thrown into confusion, a different kind of electricity sparks in this collection of linked stories about teens navigating life, love, and just getting by.

Set against the backdrop of the segregation history of the American South, William “Scoob” Lamar, an eleven-year-old Black boy, takes an unplanned trip with his grandmother and discovers that the world hasn’t always been a welcoming place for kids like him, and things aren’t always what they seem—his G’ma included.

Shenice Lockwood, captain of the Fulton Firebirds, is hyper-focused when she steps up to the plate. Nothing can stop her from leading her team to the U12 fast-pitch softball regional championship. But Shenice's focus gets shaken when her great-uncle Jack reveals that a career-ending — and family-name-ruining — crime may have been a setup. Her broken focus means mistakes on the field. And Shenice's teammates are beginning to wonder if she's captain-qualified. It's up to Shenice to discover the truth about her family's past — and fast — before secrets take the Firebirds out of the game forever.