Patrick Jones

Every adult wants to give DeQuin advice. His father, who's serving a life sentence, thinks DeQuin needs to toughen up. His uncle wants DeQuin to work hard and keep his head down. Then there's his grandfather, lecturing DeQuin at every turn―when he's...

Do the crime, do the time behind bars. But once you've been in, it can be tough to stay out.When Hinton Helsinger leaves the Youth Correctional Center, he's set on reforming his impulsive ways. But things at home have changed: his dad has been killed,...

Do the crime, do the time behind bars. But once you've been in, it can be tough to stay out.Ian's band is finally taking off. But the band's front man and Ian's best friend, Orlando, can't catch a break as a black kid in their white town. Tension with...

Everyone has secrets in high school. But no one has a secret quite like Camila Hernandez's.For as long as Camila can remember, her mother has been in prison. And Camila has tried to make sure no one finds out. She avoids all friendships. She keeps to...

Do the crime, do the time behind bars. But once you've been in, it can be tough to stay out.Tension between African Americans and Somalis at Rodney's high school erupts into a food fight that turns into a riot. In the midst of the violence, Rodney...

Point guard Mercedes Morgan is on track to set the all-state record for three-pointers. She's even caught the attention of a big-time college recruiter. But her sister has fallen in with a gang from the old neighborhood, and a drive-by shooting lands...

Lucas has big dreams of getting a basketball scholarship and helping his mom out of poverty. When a growth spurt helps Lucas become a force on the court, his dreams finally seem within reach. But Lucas's brother tries to steer him toward a very...

Deja's mom has never been there when Deja needed her. She's lied, run off, and gotten into trouble with the law more times than anyone can count. She always promises to change―and always breaks those promises.Now―seventeen years after Deja was born in...

Life is looking up for Xavier. Things are good with Jennie, his baseball coach believes in him, he's earned the role of closer, and his dad's coming home after serving ten years.But making up for lost time with his dad doesn't go as Xavier had hoped....

Todd and Tina Morgan were both there the night their mother died. They both saw their father kill her. But they can't agree on what actually happened. To Tina, their father is a murderer. Their mother was trying to defend herself. To Todd, their...

Nothing in wrestling can match the excitement of the main event. It's the match that everyone wants to see, the match that will have fans talking the next day. Author Patrick Jones takes readers deep inside the world of pro wrestling and shows how its...

Randy prides himself on being all a team captain should be. He expects a lot from himself and from his teammates. But his high standards are challenged when he discovers some players are cheating in school. Although he takes his role as team captain...

What if a boxer and a wrestler fought? Who would win? What if a fighter skilled in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tangled with a foe trained in traditional judo? These were questions that fans of combat sports asked for years, but how to settle it? The answer:...