Naeem is far from the "model teen." Moving fast in his immigrant neighborhood in Queens is the only way he can outrun the eyes of his hardworking Bangladeshi parents and their gossipy neighbors. Even worse, they're not the only ones watching. Cameras on poles. Mosques infiltrated. Everyone knows- Be careful what you say and who you say it to. Anyone might be a watcher. Naeem thinks he can charm his way through anything, until mistakes catch up with him and the cops offer a dark deal. Naeem sees a way to be a hero--a protector--like the guys in his brother's comic books. Yet what is a hero? What is a traitor? Where does Naeem belong? Marina Budhos's extraordinary and timely novel examines what it's like to grow up under surveillance, something many Americans experience and most Muslim Americans know. Naeem's riveting story is as vivid and involving as today's headlines. Anextraordinary and timely novel, aWalter Dean Myers Award Honor Book,examines what it's like to grow up under surveillance in America. Be careful what you say and who you say it to.Anyone might be a watcher. Naeem is a Bangledeshi teenager living in Queens who thinks he can charm his way through anything. But then mistakes catch up with him. So do the cops, who offer him an impossible choice- spy on his Muslim neighbors and report back to them on shady goings-on, or face a police record. Naeem wants to be a hero-a protector. He wants his parents to be proud of him. But as time goes on, the line between informing and entrapping blurs. Is he saving or betraying his community? Inspired by actual surveillance practices in New York City and elsewhere, Marina Budhos's extraordinary and timely novel examines what it's like to grow up with Big Brother always watching. Naeem's riveting story is as vivid and involving as today's headlines. Walter Dean Myers Award Honor Book, We Need Diverse Books Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature Honor Book YALSA Best YA Fiction for Young Adults "A fast-moving, gripping tale." -SLJ, Starred