Themes

Poverty, Ambition, Motivation, Ethics, Crime, Fiction, Teen, Young Adult, Chapter Book, Hi-Lo, Hi-Lo Books, Hi-Lo Solutions, High-Low Books, Hi-Low Books, ELL, EL, ESL, Struggling Learner, Struggling Reader, Special Education, SPED, Newcomers, Reading, Learning, Education, Educational, Educational Books.

Story Overview

Capital Central High School students Marley and Hector want a better life beyond their northeast D.C. neighborhood. So they study hard, taking extra classes at Tech to get ahead. Book 4 in the Cap Central series continues to explore the broad challenges facing urban schools, including crime, poverty, and encroaching gentrification.

School Setting

Capital Central High School, or Cap Central as the students like to call it, is in the northeast quadrant of Washington, D.C. Any urban school faces broad challenges, and Cap Central is no different.

Characters and Themes

But some tight-knit juniors meet the difficulties head-on with courage, friendship, determination, and hard work.