A ten-day suspension has tweens De'Kari and Ebony seeing the world with a fresh perspective. Don't miss this poignant novel in verse from the award-winning author of Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero. Two kids. One fight. No one thinks they’re wrong. Flow I don’t even hit girls . . . is what I’m thinking. I roll my eyes, turn them to my shoes. Shoes I’ma wear every day till they fall off my feet. Eb It was all just an accident! Nobody was trying to mess up his Stupid Ugly Shoes. Now I’ve got my third suspension of seventh grade. Ebony and De’Kari (aka Flow) do not get along. How could they when their cafeteria scuffle ended with De'Kari's ruined shoes, Ebony on the ground, and both of them with ten days of at-home suspension? Now Eb and Flow have two weeks to think about and explain their behavior—to their families, to each other, and ultimately to themselves. Award-winning author Kelly J. Baptist delivers a novel in verse that follows Eb and Flow as they navigate their parallel lives. Single-parent homes, tight funds, and sibling dynamics provide a balancing act for the growing tweens. And whether they realize it or not, these two have a lot more in common than they think. Praise for Eb & Flow “A moving and layered story of reflection and connection.” —Kirkus Reviews "This story will resonate with readers struggling to find ways to express their emotional lives in ways that society deems appropriate." —The Horn Book Praise for Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero: A Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year! “An inventive and heartfelt debut novel.” —The New York Times ★ " An uplifting, affirming story for every collection.” —Booklist, starred review ★ "Isaiah’s optimism, drive, and loyalty to friends and family make him a hero to cheer for and lend a feeling of hope to this exploration of difficult topics." —Publishers Weekly, starred review Praise for The Swag Is in the Socks: ★" An excellent read-alike to Jacqueline Woodson’s Harbor Me or Janae Marks’ From the Desk of Zoe Washington .” –Booklist, Starred Review " A warm but authentic picture of a middle schooler figuring out who he is and who he wants to be." –The Bulletin KELLY J. BAPTIST is the inaugural winner of the We Need Diverse Books short- story contest. Her story is fea-tured in the WNDB anthology Flying Lessons & Other Stories and inspired her first full-length novel, Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero, and its sequel, Isaiah Dunn Saves the Day. Kelly is also the author of the picture book The Elec-tric Slide and Kai and the middle- grade novel The Swag Is in the Socks. Eb & Flow is Kelly’s first novel in verse and was inspired by her ponderings about what really hap-pens when kids serve suspensions.Kelly lives in southwest Michigan with her five amazing children. The Day Of Flow I don’t hit girls. I don’t even hit girls . . . is what I’m thinking but I musta said it out loud because Mr. Warren, our bald-­headed principal, raises his eyebrows and says, “You sure about that? Our cameras show us something very different, De’Kari.” “It’s Flow,” I say. I always say it. “Your name is De’Kari Flood, and that’s what I’m calling you,” says Mr. Warren. Just like everyone else. I roll my eyes, turn them to my shoes. New shoes. Shoes I’ma wear every day till they fall off my feet. Eb “He called me the b-­word. And it was all just an accident! Nobody was trying to mess up his Stupid Ugly Shoes.” My arms are crossed, and I’m giving Mr. Warren the same look I seen Ma give my sister, Poke, when Poke comes at her wrong. Ma learned The Look from my granny, who be givin’ it to all of us when we’re wrong. I’m not tryna be no poet, but Poke ain’t no Joke. So she gets The Look a lot. Guess I do, too. Few more minutes of this with Mr. Warren, and then my granny will be on the phone listening to him tell her allllllll about how Ebony got to fighting again. “So you stepped on his shoes by accident?” “YES!” Sometimes I be thinkin’ Mr. Warren can’t hear that good. He asks the same questions over and over. “And then he called you a name?” “The b-­word.” Get it right, Mr. Warren. “And then?” “I slapped him in his ugly face.” Yeah. I slapped him good, too! Everybody in the lunchroom went, “OOOOOOOH!” “Then he pushed you?” Mr. Warren asks, lookin’ all concerned. “And I pushed him back!” I say. Loud. “You seen the video—­why you wastin’ time asking?” Mr. Warren ignores my question. He good at that. “What happened after you pushed him?” I let the question hang. I glue my hand to my leg to keep from touching my left cheek, which throbs. If I wasn’t dark like Milky Way Midnights, I’d be red right there. Like that cinnamon gum Poke’s boyfriend loves. Because that can’t-­rap fool, who calls himself Flow, swung on me. Flow Mr. Warren’s the mean principal. The one giving suspensions out like M&M’s and making kids go to detention and stuff. Mr. Porter’s the ni