This book is deceptively simple. It's short and easy to read and doesn't have any huge, dramatic moments (except stuff that happened in the past), but its emotions are still sifting their way through my brain. Three girls, the narrator, her friend Neeka, and new arrival D Foster, become a close-knit group during the two years before they turn 13, and during rapper Tupac's rise to fame, first shooting, and eventual death. It's a slice-of-life book about the changes your mind goes through when you are learning to see some of the hardships of the world and wonder about your place in it. I'll particularly remember the trip that was made to see Neeka's gay brother in prison (for something he didn't do). 
 Interestingly, I didn't realize until page 78 that the narrator isn't named. Also interestingly, as I was carrying this book around the library the last few days, the cover and title started more Tupac-related conversations than I expected, by kids who could barely have been born when he died. His legend is still huge, made even bigger by the controversy surrounding his death. Who killed him? How did he die? Is he even really dead? 
 Great book to recommend for the younger set who still wants "urban" lit; give to fans of Bluford High, paired with Standing Against the Wind, All of the Above, or Make Lemonade. 
 Favorite quotes: 
 "I stared out the window. Outside, the snow was beginning to come down. It was the first snow of the year and the tiny white flakes made me think about being a little girl--me and Neeka all excited and stupid over the idea of playing outside. Sitting at the kitchen table with Mama, that cold gray winter-light coming in from outside making everything, even the toaster, look like it was on the verge of tears, it was hard to even believe there was a time when I got so happy and silly over something like snow." 
 "Tash played the piano at church, and when his fingers touched the piano keys, it was like magic was taking over the whole place, making it all soft and holy and different. When Tash played the piano, church ladies dabbed at their eyes, threw their hands in the air, and said, Well...! in this way that people do. It meant What more can I say. It meant God is good every day. It meant Ain't this all something?"