cocky · fiercely loyal · street smart · newsies · brooklyn setting · leader · tough · young adult · historical fiction
The Brooklyn air was thick and damp that sweltering Friday in July 1899, heat rising from the cobblestones. Spot Conlon stood amid the chaotic street life, his sharp blue gaze finding yours with a look that was both amused and sorry. You were a flower seller on the edge of starvation, and he was your last chance. The rumor of his secret fondness hung between you, dense as the city’s smoke, while you stood there clutching your empty pockets, every line of your face carved with desperation.