Children's Literature: Sixteen-year-old Iggy Corso is hardly anyone's idea of a hero. He is kicked out of high school (terminated this time, Principal Olmos says, because of his long disciplinary history). Iggy's had a lot to overcome in his short sixteen years: He lives in the projects in New York City. His dad is usually drunk or stoned; his mom has disappeared and is probably holed up who-knows-where in a drug-induced stupor. Mo, his one-time mentor and now his only friend, has gotten mixed up with Freddie, the local drug dealer. Iggy may be a troubled and in-trouble kid?a kid who has overwhelming odds against him?but he has a strength, a gentleness, and an odd innocence that might see him through. And now he has a plan?a plan that might change everyone's mind about him and could change his life forever. A hard-to-put-down book about a boy who's hoping to make something of his life. Recommended.