Winner of the National Jewish Book Award

A Sydney Taylor Notable Book

Tablet Magazine's Best Jewish Kids Books of the Year

The Atlantic City Boardwalk in the summer of 1975 isn't cutting thirteen-year-old Joey a break.

His grandparents' hotel, the St Bonaventure, is struggling to bring in business. The city is getting more dangerous by the day. And nobody in Joey's large, busy Jewish family will take him seriously. So when he gets a job offer from mobster Artie Bishop, known as the king of Steel Pier, Joey jumps at the chance to prove himself. Artie treats Joey like "one of the guys"--someone reliable and strong.

But running with Artie's crew means deceiving the people he loves most and crossing lines he never questioned before. When Artie asks Joey for a very dangerous favor that puts Joey's family at risk, Joey must decide what strength really means to him and what price he's willing to pay for it.