Thirteen-year-old Jojo is on a road trip with his family, making their way from their rural home in Mississippi to pick up his dad, who’s finally being released from prison. Joining him are his younger sister Kayla and their mother, Leonie, who is battling drug addiction. The journey is haunted by both real and symbolic ghosts from their past, such as memories of murdered children and the aftermath of racial violence. As they navigate this trip, they also confront current struggles like poverty, addiction, and discrimination. 

Kiese Laymon's memoir, Heavy: An American Memoir, offers a strikingly honest and sometimes funny look at his childhood and teenage years in Jackson, Mississippi. The book dives into his complicated and often tough relationship with his smart but abusive mom, his deep affection for his wise grandmother, and his challenges with his weight, eating habits, anorexia, and obesity. With a powerful second-person narrative, Laymon unpacks family secrets, the failures of society, and the damaging effects of racism and weight-focused culture in America.

Theodore Boone is a 13-year-old kid who leverages his understanding of law and the judicial system to crack cases in his hometown of Strattenburg. Growing up as the child of lawyers, Theo dreams of becoming a judge and often finds himself caught up in various legal dramas, ranging from a murder trial in the first book to issues like a cheating scandal and environmental concerns in the series' later entries.