3.5 stars. I am most certainly not the audience for this book, but I think this is a great one for fans of Jason Reynold's middle grade books. Maldonado realistically explores middle-school friendships. Becoming friends with kids who introduce you to breaking the rules, who put you down instead of lifting you up, but who can also have good qualities--is a universal experience. This is a good one for tweens who are starting to choose their own friends.