Content report card
Ruin Road parent’s guide: what’s inside
LGBTQ+ themes
What it offers
Educational value
A note for parents
Ruin Road is a contemporary fantasy exploring themes of fear, prejudice, and consequences through a young Black protagonist navigating systemic racism. The plot involves escalating violence tied to the magical removal of fear, creating moral tension rather than graphic depiction. The book addresses serious social issues (police profiling, neighborhood stereotyping) while emphasizing friendship, responsibility, and difficult choices, making it most appropriate for mature teens who can engage with its social commentary.
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From the publisher
"My twin, Lamar, is a phenomenal innovative storyteller... A true king!" -- Tiffany D. Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of Grown and The Weight of Blood Sometimes a little fear is a good thing... Cade Webster lives between worlds. He's a standout football star at the right school but lives in the wrong neighb... "My twin, Lamar, is a phenomenal innovative storyteller... A true king!" -- Tiffany D. Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of Grown and The Weight of Blood Sometimes a little fear is a good thing... Cade Webster lives between worlds. He's a standout football star at the right school but lives in the wrong neighborhood--if you let his classmates tell it. Everywhere but home, people are afraid of him for one reason or another. Afraid he's too big, too fast, too ambitious, too Black. Then one fateful night, to avoid a dangerous encounter with the police, he ducks into a pawn shop. An impulse purchase and misspoken desire change everything when Cade tells the shopkeeper he wishes people would stop acting so scared around him, and the wish is granted... At first, it feels like things have taken a turn for the better. But it's not just Cade that people no longer fear--it's everything. With Cade spreading this newfound "courage" wherever he goes, anything can happen. Fearless acts of violence begin to escalate in both his neighborhood and at school. With the right moves, and brave friends, Cade might have one -- and only one -- chance to save all he loves. But at what cost? After all, the devil's in the details.
Shelved under
- Young Adult Fiction
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ISBN 9781338894141 · Scholastic Inc.