From Coretta Scott King Honor-winning author of Yummy G. Neri comes an epic journey across the South Side of Chicago for Darius, his little sister Cissy, and his best friend Booger as they set out to find an armored truck that has lost a payload of cash.
Fifteen-year-old Darius is going through a rough time. It's almost been a year since a terrible act of violence took the life of his mother and left him with a wound both in his leg and in his heart. With his stepdad out of work; his little sister, Cissy, always on his case; and the looming prospect of foreclosure on their house, he feels his world closing in on him.
But Darius's best friend, Booger, has a plan. A Brinks armored truck has crashed on a nearby highway and money is blowing everywhere. If they can get across town and back safely, they just might get rich! But to do it, they need to cross through some of the most dangerous streets in Chicago, staying ahead of the gangs that rule those neighborhoods.
Before long, their adventures blow up on social media as Booger documents their search for riches, and everyone is after them. Can they get home without falling victim to the violence of the streets? Sometimes, on the streets of Chicago, there is no Safe Passage.
About the Author :
G. Neri is an award-winning author, including a Michael L. Printz Award for his contribution to The Collectors anthology as well as an Eisner nomination and Coretta Scott King Honor for Yummy: the Last Days of a Southside Shorty. He has written many books for young people, including Ghetto Cowboy, which was made into the movie Concrete Cowboy, starring Idris Elba, debuting at #1 on Netflix. His books have been translated into multiple languages in more than 25 countries. In 2023, he was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from SUNY for his literary output. Mr. Neri lives on the Gulf coast of Florida. For more information, visit gregneri.com.
David Brame is the Eisner-nominated comic artist of After the Rain, whose art for the graphic novel was hailed as "bold and arresting" by Publishers Weekly. He was also a contributor to the graphic novel anthology Young Men In Love: A Queer Romance Anthology, which earned the GLAAD Award for Outstanding Graphic Novel or Anthology and the American Library Association's award for Great Graphic Novel for Teens. David lives in Alaska with his three dogs. For more information, visit his Instagram @amazingdavidbrame.
Review :
* "In this fast-paced story, each decision the characters make is critical. Despite the difficult situation the kids are in, Neri provides small pockets of hope and light. Brame's evocative digital black-and-white illustrations bring the setting to life, emphasizing the emotional intensity and high stakes. Somber with a sprinkling of optimism and a firm grounding in unconditional familial love." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"Safe Passage is brutal, beautiful, and mercilessly necessary. It's a love letter to the City with Big Shoulders and a reminder that once it had to rise from its ashes. Neri and Brame do a delicate dance of text and image that expose the dangers of the street mixed with the hope and innocence that Black children have to fight to protect. It's an amazing achievement and is a prime example of what the comics medium can do when true masters are at the height of their craft." -- John Jennings, award-winning comics creator and scholar
"Honest and essential, Safe Passage is a harrowing look at a stark reality many Americans don't see. In a country so willing to look away from the real struggles of its young people, Neri and Brame ask us, with beauty and compassion, to pay attention." -- A.S. King, Printz-winning author of Dig
"This book is incredible, from one page to the next, I couldn't put it down." -- Raúl the Third, creator of the World of ¡Vamos!
"These two ingenious creatives get us deep into the human heart and human mind of young people. What is depicted are not just throwaway statistics and future fleeting hashtags, but flesh and blood Black children full of pain, longing, desperate dreams, intelligence, and good humor" -- Tony Medina, author of I Am Alfonso Jones
"Neri and Brame have crafted a masterpiece where every twist is unpredictable, uneasy, and unrelenting. Your heart should not beat this fast reading a graphic novel, but in this adventurous, all-too-real tale of tension, it will!" -- Stacey Robinson, illustrator of I Am Alfonso Jones and Across the Tracks: Remembering Greenwood, Black Wall Street, and the Tulsa Race Massacre
"There's a crime drama nestled in this rich and expressive story of Chicago's South Side, but the real stars are the characters. The dangerous canyon of threats Darius and Cissy must navigate and survive is as breathtakingly vivid as the emotionally infused line work of the art on each and every page. In Safe Passage, the medium of comics is in full throttle, singing its pure song, in its truest voice, one page at a time." -- Greg Ruth, New York Times-bestselling creator of The Lost Boys and Indeh: A Story of the Apache Wars
Best Books of 2024
Best of the Best Books 2024 - Chicago Public Library
Blue Hen Book Award Nominee 2026 - Delaware Library Association
Children & Youth Literary Awards Winner 2025 - Black Caucus of the American Library Association
Choose to Read Ohio 2026 - State Library of Ohio
Cybils Award - Graphic Novels Finalist 2024 - The Cybils
Denny O'Neil Graphic Novel List 2025 - Missouri Association of School Librarians
Great Graphic Novels for Teens 2025 - Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)
Pedro and Daniel Intersectionality Book Awards Commended Title 2025 - Read Your World
