Kings of B'More - by R Eric Thomas (Hardcover)

About the Book

Propelled by his best friend's impending move out of state and inspired by Ferris Bueller's Day Off, sixteen-year-old Harrison plans a farewell through Baltimore that includes a road trip, their first Pride, and a rooftop dance party.

Book Synopsis

"Infused with all the joy of the best teen movies, Kings of B'more is sure to be a big hit." --BuzzFeed

Two Black queer best friends face their last day together with an epic journey through Baltimore in this magnetic YA debut by bestselling author of Here for It, R. Eric Thomas.

A 2023 Stonewall Honor Book for Young Adult Literature

With junior year starting in the fall, Harrison feels like he's on the precipice of, well, everything. Standardized testing, college, and the terrifying unknowns and looming pressures of adulthood after that--it's like the future wants to eat him alive. Which is why Harrison is grateful that he and his best friend, Linus, will face these things together. But at the end of a shift at their summer job, Linus invites Harrison to their special spot overlooking the city to deliver devastating news: He's moving out of state at the end of the week.

To keep from completely losing it--and partially inspired by a cheesy movie-night pick by his dad--Harrison plans a send-off à la Ferris Bueller's Day Off that's worthy of his favorite person. If they won't be having all the life-expanding experiences they thought they would, Harrison will squeeze them all into their last day together. They end up on a mini road trip, their first Pride, and a rooftop dance party, all while keeping their respective parents, who track them on a family location app, off their trail. Harrison and Linus make a pact to do all the things--big and small--they've been too scared to do. But nothing feels scarier than saying goodbye to someone you love.

Review Quotes

PRAISE for KINGS OF B'MORE by R. Eric Thomas:

A Stonewall Honor Book!
WASHINGTON DC Three Star Book Award
2023 MISelf in Books Masterlist (Michigan)

"A profoundly charming story about platonic love and living one's life to the fullest."
--Ryan Douglass, New York Times bestselling author of The Taking of Jake Livingston

"Kings of B'more is a luminous story of friendship, belonging, and joy. We should all be so lucky to live a day like the one Harrison and Linus share, at least once in our lives."
--Adib Khorram, award-winning author of Darius the Great Is Not Okay

"Unapologetically beautiful and fiercely hilarious, Kings of B'more is utterly phenomenal. R. Eric Thomas has given us the joy, friendship, and unending love we all sincerely need."
--Julian Winters, award-winning author of Running With Lions

"Infused with all the joy of the best teen movies, Kings of B'more is sure to be a big hit."
--BuzzFeed

★ "Employing a charismatic cast, expert comedic timing, and moving prose, Thomas artfully composes a raucous and tenderhearted story."
--Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Thoughtful, poignant, fun."
--Kirkus Reviews

"Lyrical, contemplative."
--Booklist

Praise for HERE FOR IT by R. Eric Thomas:

"R. Eric Thomas . . . is one of my favorite writers. Here for It is like if David Sedaris was completely steeped in pop culture instead of living somewhere far away writing about it . . . Laugh-out-loud funny."
--Lin-Manuel Miranda

"Hilarious, revelatory, hopeful, incisive--Here for It feels like splitting dessert with your funniest friend, if that friend was also your smartest professor and a devastatingly sharp pop culture historian."
--Casey McQuiston, New York Times bestselling author of Red, White & Royal Blue

"I laughed. I cried. I wish I would have written it myself."
--Jenny Lawson, New York Times bestselling author of You Are Here and Furiously Happy

"I LOVE everything about this book: the humor, the profundity, the timing, the balance... It's exactly what I hope for in a book of personal essays."
--Book Riot

"Eric Thomas narrates his collection of funny and heartfelt essays with irresistible warmth... In a voice that will immediately make listeners feel like they've known him forever."
--Audiofile Magazine

About the Author

R. Eric Thomas is the bestselling author of Here for It, or How to Save Your Soul in America, a Read with Jenna book club pick featured on Today and a Lambda Literary Award finalist. He is the co-author of Reclaiming Her Time, a biography of Rep. Maxine Waters. He is also a television writer (AppleTV+'s Dickinson, FX's Better Things), a playwright, and the long-running host of The Moth in Philadelphia and D.C. For four years, he was a senior staff writer at Elle.com where he wrote "Eric Reads the News." Kings of B'more is his YA debut. Learn more at rericthomas.com.