Summary

In Book One, "One Sentence," first person narrator, Citoyen "City" Coldson was in an ongoing battle with LaVander Peeler. They were constantly competing to be the best reader and writer in school. City especially wanted to beat LaVander at the Can You Use That Word in a Sentence contest (4).

After tying at the state competition, the boys met " in the middle of the basketball court," and staged their own sentence battle (6). As in the competition, they had to use a chosen word in one, complex and dynamic sentence.

In "All Clean," LaVander told Principal Reeves that City had called him a racial slur. In Principal Reeves' office, City was distracted by a book on her shelf. The book was called Long Division, and had a peculiar cover. Principal Reeves gave City a test designed to make him think...