A book might win awards or be chosen as a "best book for young adults," but the people who give those awards and make the best book lists are seldom kids themselves; nor, unfortunately, seem to be aware -- or even much care -- about what kids want to read. For example, I know of several books that are totally outdated and not in the least relevant to the lives of most of today's kids -- books that most kids seem to absolutely hate, judging by their reviews -- yet those books have won many awards and remain in print.

Here are some pictures and descriptions of the characters in Way Past Cool from students at Gompers High School in Richmond, California.

All editions of Way Past Cool may be seen by clicking the Jess Mowry Books link at the bottom of this page.

Gordon

by Joseph Durr

Gordon was a born leader. He's got a balance of brains and balls. He is healthy and he is the oldest of the Friends he's fourteen. He is a heavy-breasted boy with a belly that hung over his jeans, and it bobbed when he moved. There is muscle buried beneath all his fat and his T-shirts never covered his middle. His hair was always in a 'fro, and his flat nosed heavy-lipped face made him look dense unless you paid attention to his eyes. He was a bully at times it seems like he's always bullying Ric and Rac there twins. He kicked the squatting Ric in the butt with the toe of his ancient Airwalk sending both brothers sprawling. Gordon always have the gun unless Lyon was fixing it like when it gets jammed when they where shooting at the black van. On the way to Gordon's house Deek road up and said do you guys wont to work for me, and Gordon said hell no so get the fuck out of here be for I shoot you stupid ass. And that's when Deek gave the Friends some beer and then left as they were walking they saw a kid getting robbed. They helped him and shot the boy and he fell the boy asked Lyon to take the bullet out of him and Lyon did and then Lyon gave Curtis the gun.

Dylan Thomas

Lyon, the Real Leader of the Friends

by Antonio Wright

The real leader of the gang called the Friends, personally I think, is Lyon. He's the smartest one that knows most out of the whole group. Gordon, the leader, is a fast thinker, which is a good thing, but he always goes to Lyon for advice. During a shooting in a drive-by, Gordon little .22 pistol got jammed while trying to shoot back. Lyon knew exactly what was wrong with the gun. The bullet was stuck, so he fixed it.

The way Gordon shows leadership is when it's time for a question to be answered, he always has a fast decision, and its rarely the right one. He shows heart in serious situations, by not taking any mess from anybody Or he's the bossy one, which a leader is suppose to be like.

Lyon shows leadership to me because anytime his friends need something done, advice, or even guidance they all go to Lyon. He's the one they look up to when questions need to be answered even Gordon does. After a shoot out the cops were coming and Gordon asked Lyon where they were at, Lyon knew how far they were from them, and how many blocks away they were.

Lyon's fluffy bush, like an afro gone wild. Everything about Lyon was long; narrow, lean-jawed face with high cheekbones, and tall slender body more delicate than skinny. His teeth looked large for his mouth they were oversized for his mouth. His ebony eyes were titled up at the corners and, like his v smile, always seemed a little sly. He had a funny loose way of holding or moving his hands that made them look like paws. He read books because he wanted to, and could fascinate or terrify with magic tricks or spooky stories. Lyon's long delicate hand clasped Curtis shoulder again. "I come home with ya homey, Patch you up good as new."

Lyon saw the white cop about to take out Ty with a shotgun so he ran in front of it trying to protect Ty and got shot, killed, the cop got maize but it was out of courage to do that, going against a shot gun with a little old hand gun. Lyon is a good friend to everybody except enemies. When he did magic tricks he scared his audience even his gang, the Friends.

Daniel Williams

Curtis, the Mascot of the Friends

by DayQuisha Johns

Curtis is the youngest out of the Friends. He is 12 years old and has dreads, he also the littlest. When the Friends was shot at Curtis was the one to get hit except it wasent with a bullet, it was a peice of brick in his shoulder blade. He was childlike with a little belly, he was known as the mascot. Curtis's dad was white, and his parents was tring to build up enough money to move to Jamaica. Curtis was the closest to the one that they call Lyon out of the Friends. Curtis also smoked ciggaretts and they all drank beer. Curtis also talked funny he had a baby like voice I guess it was because he was the youngest.

Roxanne Johnson

Ric and Rac

Ric and Rac are twins. They are best friends and they stick together. Ric and Rac are in a gang called the Friends with three other boys their names are Lyon, Curtis, and Gordon. Gordon is the leader of the friends. Ric and Rac are the goofy ones of the gang. They also are tight twins and loyal to their leader Gordon.

Ric and Rac are jokers. For instance, once at school the teacher asked Ric and Rac to dress different so that she could tell them apart and the next day they came with their initials on their shirts written in magic marker. That didn't help because their initials are the same. That let you know that they are identical twins.

Gordon looked at his digital watch on his wrist and said were for sure late now because his watch was broken. Then Ric and Rac told Gordon to check his cheap digital watch to see if it was still ticking Gordon did it and Ric and Rac burst out laughing. They were just being goofy and to show that Gordon was stupid. They were being smart so Gordon put zeros on their for heads to remind them of what he thought of them.

Ric and Rac have a lot of loyalty for the leader Gordon. Ric and Rac listen to Gordon because he's their leader and he's their friend.

When Gordon told Ric and Rac to do something they moved as one and they also and that shows you that they are tight twins and they stick together.

I choose to write about Ric and Rac because they are funny and it seems to me that they have a good sense of humor and when I read the book of Way Past Cool they were my favorite characters. The twins always had something smart to say to everyone in a funny way and I like the fact that they are twins because for some reason I just like twins.

Raneisha Matlock

Deek: The drug dealer

by Alfredo Gonzalez

Deek is a drug dealer who lives in West Oakland. He's kinda big with a double chin his frame is somthing of small, quick, and, lean. Deek always had money. He's dressed fresh, very flashy. he has gold around his neck, wrist, and fingers. Deek is only 16 years old with his own car thats is a black trans am. Deek always says what's on his mined. " The last time i seen a face like that, it was on a goddamn clock a fuckin kuckoo came out of it". Deek has a bodygaurd who's name is Ty. Deek is very abusive towards Ty, he calls him stupid, and is also very ruthless towards him too because he killed his old bodygaurd with battery acid.

Nicole Johnson

Ty, Deek's bodyguard

by Alfredo Gonzalez

Ty is a tall dark skinned boy, who seemed to have no fat on him. He had an almost razor shaved hair cut. He also had buck teeth behind his humongoes lips, and he was wearing a short shirt down to his belly button.

The only reason Ty was working for Deek was so he would be protected, even though Deek treated him with no respect. Ty got his respect from the streets. When he went to go collect the money, everybody knew who he was.

Ty thought it was the best job he could get. He did extra stuff like grocery shopping and cooking.

Musaad Alnagar

Ty was a tall wiry person he had buckteeth that hid behind his loose lips. There wasn't an ounce of fat on him he had warm obsidian eyes that some might call soulful. He was smart he look like the c-average type. He was courageous, tough, and he had compassion for his little brother Danny. Ty was indifferent he didn't care about what people think about him or how he looks he cared about Danny and his other siblings. Ty was tough he stood up to deek when he needed the night off he also stood up to him when he tried to kill Danny. Ty was also a thinker he thought about what would life be like if he had went to school. Ty cared about Danny he wanted Danny to go to school he didn't want him to turn out like deek or himself he wanted him to be something in life. Ty is important in the story because without Ty Danny would be dead or out selling drugs and deek would be dead or he would have another bodyguard also he would not be able to find love with Markita.

Rayshawn Matthews

Markita

Markita is a 16 years old single mother who works at Burger King. Her son is 2 years old and stays at home in her mother's small apartment while shes at work. She is a dark girl, who is long-limbed and slim. Her hair is cut short in tight natural curls, accenting what some old people would call the Africanness of her features. She has a wide nose, but small-bridged, fierce cheeck bones, and full-lipped mouth. She wore the lame little cap shoved far back from her smooth forehead as if in contempt. According to Ty she was the kind of pure black girl who would never appear in any McDonald's or Burger King commercial or be pictured playing with Barbie dolls beside some blond child on tv.

Anna Maria Cohen

Markita lives in Oakland California. Markita is slim, dark, and she's sixteen years old. Markita's a single mother working at Burger King. Markita's son is two years old and when Markita go to work her son stay at home with Markita's mother in their small apartment.

At Markita's job at Burger King two boys ride up to the window, Ty and Deek. Deek has money, cars and drugs because he's a drug dealer. Ty is just Deek's bodyguard, some one that work for a little bit of nothing. They pull up to the window and order. Behind the bulletproof glass Ty saw a dark girl. Markita felt her hart warming toward him for some reason. Ty saw Markita who served them that same day though long-limbed and slim and draped in the baggy fast-food uniform, her body showed pride in breasts carried high, and a soft curve of hips imperfect of her waist. Martita hair was cut short and tight like a boy's. That when Ty first started to like Markita.

Markita was kind hearted. When Markita heard some one in the dark alley that know one would go and it. People found died bodies in the alley once there'd been a baby stuffed in a dumpster. Markita know right away that some one need her help. When Markita got to the alley and saw that it was Ty Markita knew she had to help Ty right away. Markita finds Ty attractive.

At the end of the book Ty and Markita started to go out. Ty was not Deek bodyguard no more, Markita was happy. Deek also died at the end of the book. Ty was happy because he didn't have to sale drugs not more and now he can live a normal life with Markita.