On the day he enters Kennedy High in Manhattan wearing a patch over one eye, sixteen-year-old Horace Hobart is urged to join the toughest gang at school.
OK, so the world has changed a bit since this book was published. Gangs are very serious (and deadly) business and the problems of inner city neighborhoods are no joke. But this lighthearted look at a teen trying to fit in and getting in over his head still delivers laughs aplenty.
A series of coincidental events conspire to make gawky uber-nerd Horace Hobart appear at his new inner-city high school decked out like a tough guy. Naturally, he gets taken in by the much feared and misunderstood local gang, the Purple Falcons. The usual comedy results as he tries to maintain his cover, get the girl, and all that nonsense. Short and cute, if a bit dated.