The World Is Mine

LeFlore's debut, first in the Come Up series, introduces six Washington, D.C., teenagers with big ambitions. High school junior Blue is pressured to go to law school, but decides to follow his dream of being an entertainment impresario, signing musicians and planning parties (“Diddy unlocked the door, and I'm gonna kick it in!”). His best friends Collin, brilliant but stressed out by his demanding father, and Whiteboy (a gang member turned tattoo artist) join him, along with rapper Tre and ascendant deejay Mamie, who is living with her aunt after being kicked out of her home. Her best friend Jade, Blue's love interest, is striving to become a doctor to care for her sick mother. Teens, especially the hip-hop obsessed, will relate to the characters' stratospheric aspirations, their struggles to balance their passions with parental demands, as well as the sharp dialogue and narration (“You don't count, Whiteboy. You ain't really white!” I joked. “Aw, young, how you gon' play me out like that?”). The drama, punctuated by song lyrics and Warfield's high contrast photo collages, is easily resolved, but several doors are left open for the next installment. Ages 14–up. (Dec.)