I really loved this book! It's the first I've read from Walter Dean Myers but have heard a lot about his writing. This book was a great first read. This is a collection of short stories with characters all from the same neighborhood - even the same street (145th Street). I loved how all the stories were connected in come way and I got an in-depth look at this neighborhood without a straight storyline directly connecting all the characters. I think students would appreciate this collection because it still has the semblance of one story, similar to The House on Mango Street, which I would likely read in conjunction with this book. The writing was beautiful and realistic and I think the stories were interesting no matter where you're from, but present characters that inner-city students don't often see.