Under the neon lights

Sixteen-year-old Jaelyn Coleman lives for Saturdays at WestSide Roll, the iconic neighborhood roller rink. On these magical nights, Jae can lose herself in the music of DJ Sunny, the smell of nachos from the concession, and the crowd of some of her favorite people-old heads, dance crews, and other r...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Vinson, Arriel (Author)
Format: Books Print Book
Language:English
Published: New York : G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2025.
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Summary:Sixteen-year-old Jaelyn Coleman lives for Saturdays at WestSide Roll, the iconic neighborhood roller rink. On these magical nights, Jae can lose herself in the music of DJ Sunny, the smell of nachos from the concession, and the crowd of some of her favorite people-old heads, dance crews, and other regulars like herself. Here, Jae and other Black teens can fully be themselves. One Saturday, as Jae skates away her worries, she crashes into the cutest boy she's ever seen. Trey's dimples, rich brown skin, and warm smile make it impossible for her to be mad at him though. Best of all, he can't stop finding excuses to be around her. A nice change for once, in contrast with her best friend's cold distance of late or her estranged father creeping back into her life. Just as Jae thinks her summer might change for the better, devastating news hits: Westside Roll is shutting down. The gentrification rapidly taking over her predominantly Black Indianapolis neighborhood, filling it with luxury apartments and fancy boutiques, has come for her safe-haven. And this is just one trouble Jae can't skate away from.
Physical Description:376 pages ; 22 cm
Audience:Ages 12 years and up.
ISBN:9780593858592
059385859X
Author Notes:Arriel Vinson is a Midwesterner who writes about being young, Black, and in search of freedom. Her debut YA novel-in-verse, Under the Neon Lights , is a 2026 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award winner, a Reese's Book Club LitUp selection, and a Junior Library Guild Gold Selection. Arriel earned her MFA in Fiction from Sarah Lawrence College and is a Tin House YA Scholar, Highlights Foundation scholarship recipient, and Walter Grant recipient. Her sophomore novel, If This World Were Mine , is coming in spring 2027. You can connect with her on social media at @arriwrites and find her work at arriwrites.com.