"Things are finally looking up for Orlando's band in Friend or Foe. The band is getting real gigs and earning money. But one night Orlando and bandmate Ian get into a scuffle with a security guard. The two friends land themselves in jail, but Ian is released soon after. Orlando, one of the only African Americans in town, is not released. When Orlando chooses someone else to take over the band when he is in jail, Ian plots his revenge. He secretly vows to destroy everything Orlando cares about in this Othello retelling. In Heart or Mind, a fight erupts in the lunchroom one day.

Rodney finds himself defending a Somalian girl. Soon he cannot stop thinking about her. Unfortunately, African Americans and Somalians do not interact in their community. That does not stop Rodney and Jawahir from falling for each other, but their feelings might destroy everything--including themselves. Staying away from each other now that they have met is not an option in this Romeo and Juliet retelling. Jones pens a series of modern-day, gritty Shakespearean plays. With four books in the series so far, the longest comes in at 120 pages. This high-interest/low-pages series is ideal for reluctant readers or any reader who does not understand Shakespeare.

The diversity of characters, the situations of high drama, and the shortness of the books makes this series ideal for young adult collections."--VOYA.