Eighth grade is hard enough, but when you're a Cruiser, you're really put to the test.

In the second book of The Cruisers series, the term 'gifted and talented' takes on a whole new meaning for Zander and his crew, a group of misfits who attend Da Vinci Academy, a school in Harlem for only the brightest kids. Their friend Sidney Aronofsky is considered one of the best chess players in the city. When Sidney is arrested for trying to buy drugs, it comes as a shock to those who know him, especially the Cruisers. Sidney loves chess, but the pressure never lets up, and he wants out. the kids' school newspaper, The Cruiser- and Sidney's passion for coded messages-may be the only outlet they have for expressing themselves in the face of tough decisions that could change them forever. With piercing insight, acclaimed author Walter Deam Myers gives middle school boys and girls stories to call their own.