The Roach King of Raleigh

Stocker (Stronger at the Seams) offers a gritty portrayal of a teenager navigating financial insecurity, family tumult, and bullying—and the unlikely solution he cooks up to alleviate his worries. After 16-year-old Quill Jenkins’s parents separate, Quill and his mother leave their comfortable house in a picturesque neighborhood and move into a rundown rental home owned by a cantankerous landlord. And when Quill’s alcohol-dependent father gives him a bearded dragon for Quill’s birthday, the gift sows further financial woes. To help mitigate reptile expenses, Quill—having learned that the local pet store owner’s relationship with their cockroach supplier has gone sour—starts a business breeding roaches in his attic. Enlisting assistance from his classmate, Harley, and Harley’s twin sister Zuri, the trio agrees to split the profits and embark on an entrepreneurial escapade, out of which comes a bond that helps them weather personal challenges. Unflinching prose fittingly highlights Quill’s willingness to be vulnerable as he grapples with unresolved issues in his familial relationships, culminating in a moving and believable interrogation of one teen’s changing outlook and his growing ability to trust others. Quill reads as white; the twins cue as Black. Ages 13–up. Agent: Allison Remcheck, Stimola Literary Studio. (Mar.)