In a novel aimed as much at parents as at their middle-school children, Kenny sixth-grader at Washington, D.C.'s Union Middle School and longtime bully victim nds ways to give his rep a remake. After he falls afoul of the new, refreshingly caring principal, Dr. Yetty, Kenny finds himself teaching chess to a streetwise classmate in lieu of detention and discovers that the learning goes both ways. When Dr. Yetty is suddenly transferred, Kenny joins his furious grandmother old civil rights era warrior d other parents in a march. Readers, particularly in beleaguered urban districts, will see plenty of parallels between their schools and Union Middle and sympathize with Kenny's cause. Along with pen-and-ink spot illustrations, Thomas contributes pages of comic-book panels that portray Kenny's angst over keeping his (minor) malfeasances in school from G'ma as a running battle between costumed crime fighter "Stainlezz Steel" and his evil doppelgänger, "Shameless Steal." The tidy but optimistic end brings clear wins for the good guys, costumed and otherwise. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Patterson, a longtime force in the adult market, has nabbed a new legion of fans through his best-selling Middle School series. With admirers of all ages, don't be surprised if everyone wants to get their hands on his latest.

Kenny Wright, an African American sixth grader in a tough DC public school, takes a lot of flack for loving chess and his grandma. But his alter ego, Stainlezz Steel, keeps the streets safe from petty burglaries, rescues cats, and battles his arch nemesis. Interspersed with comic panels, this funny and enlightening book will have wide appeal.