Verse novel.

Eb and Flow both get a 10-day suspension for fighting at school; Eb spilled BBQ sauce on Flow's special shoes that were a gift from his dad, and they both hit each other. Now they're cooling their heels at home, where their respective guardians make sure they have plenty of chores and keep up with endless worksheets.

Eb lives her her grandma and siblings and nephew; her mom lives nearby, and her dad is in the military, stationed in Texas; Eb is supposed to visit in the summer, but feels unwanted by both her parents. Flow's dad is deployed overseas, and his mom works a ton. The night before they return to school for a final day of ISS (in-school suspension), Eb and Flow have the same dream: family members appearing at the school and escalating their fight, ending up dead. The dream scares them into softening their stances toward each other, and the ISS teacher gives them some tools to deal with their strong emotions.

See also: It Wasn't Me by Dana Alison Levy, Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds ( )

Strong work that I think a tween audience will be into. Feels very realistic, and especially highlights that: we don't know what other people are carrying around, small situations can lead to big consequences, small steps to reconciliation can lead to really good things, but it's important to make up your own mind and not get caught up in what everyone else is saying. ( )