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“Just listened to Promise Boys and WOW! There is a murder at Promise Prep School in Washington DC and 3 students are accused. Heart rending on its own, but when they get together to solve the crime, it becomes a whole other story. I was hanging on until the very end and rooting for JB, Trey, and Ramon.”
— Rebecca • Rediscovered Books
Winner of the 2024 Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production for Young Adults!
"Skilled vocal performances from more than a dozen narrators immerse listeners in a schoolyard murder mystery involving race, wealth, and power."- AudioFile
This audiobook features a full cast, musical accompaniment, and sound design. Listen along and become immersed in Promise Boys.
The Hate U Give meets One of Us Is Lying in Nick Brooks's Promise Boys, a trailblazing, blockbuster YA mystery about three teen boys of color who must investigate their principal’s murder to clear their own names—for fans of Jason Reynolds, Angie Thomas, and Karen McManus.
"The full-cast narration helps the listener track the extensive collection of characters in this whodunit....Musical accompaniment is peppered throughout the production as well, adding to its overall polished production and thrilling atmosphere." - Booklist
"A brilliant pulls-no-punches mystery with bruised hearts at its core." —Adam Silvera, #1 New York Times bestselling author of They Both Die at the End
"Thrilling, captivating, and blade-sharp. Promise Boys will stay with you long after the last page." —Karen M. McManus, #1 New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying
The Urban Promise Prep School vows to turn boys into men. As students, J.B., Ramón, and Trey are forced to follow the prestigious "program's" strict rules. Extreme discipline, they’ve been told, is what it takes to be college bound, to avoid the fates of many men in their neighborhoods. This, the Principal Moore Method, supposedly saves lives.
But when Moore ends up murdered and the cops come sniffing around, the trio emerges as the case's prime suspects. With all three maintaining their innocence, they must band together to track down the real killer before they are arrested. But is the true culprit hiding among them?
A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt & Company.
Nick Brooks is the critically-acclaimed author of Promise Boys and award-winning filmmaker from Washington, DC. He is a 2020 graduate of USC’s TV and Film Production program. His short film, Hoop Dreamin’, earned him the George Lucas Scholar Award and was a finalist in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Film Fest. Before becoming a filmmaker, Nick was an educator working with at-risk youth, and many of his stories are inspired by his experiences with the children and families of his community. He is also the author of the middle-grade series, Nothing Interesting Ever Happens to Ethan Fairmont.
Christopher Hampton is a highly successful British dramatist. His work for the Royal Court included Total Eclipse (1968) and The Philanthropist (1970). An accomplished linguist, his adaptation include Uncle Vany (1970), Hedda Gabler (1970) and A Doll's House (1971). His best known recent work has been his adaptaion of Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Laclos.
Reviews
* "A sharp examination of systematic inequality in urban schools and Black and Latine boyhood. Breathtakingly complex and intriguing." —Kirkus, starred review
"Thrilling, captivating, and blade-sharp. Promise Boys will stay with you long after the last page." —Karen M. McManus, #1 New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying
"The path to manhood has never felt more ominous than it does in PROMISE BOYS. I was at the edge of my seat trying to figure out if I was reading a story about boys becoming men or boys becoming killers—you will be too. A brilliant pulls-no-punches mystery with bruised hearts at its core." —Adam Silvera, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of They Both Die at the End
"There's nothing like a book that manages to flawlessly thread subtle social commentary through a propulsive plot carried by complex characters. Promise Boys does that ten times over, and I can't wait to see this expertly crafted mystery take the world over... while teaching us a thing or two about what it means to be a boy of color in 21st century America." —Nic Stone, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Dear Martin
“Nothing short of astounding. Promise Boys is a spellbinding, propulsive mystery while simultaneously presenting a searing critique of structural injustice, viewed through the eyes of the young men who live with it. I recommend it to anyone who loves books or doesn’t.” —Jeff Zentner, award-winning author of The Serpent King and In the Wild Light
"Promise Boys is an edge-of-your-seats, street-smart, exploding-with-talent novel. Three young men fight to overcome the way the world looks at them and become each other’s hope in the process.” —Francisco X. Stork, author of On the Hook