num_pages: 128
description: Benjie can stop using heroin anytime he wants to. He just doesn't want to yet. Why would he want to give up something that makes him feel so good, so relaxed, so tuned-out? As Benjie sees it, there's nothing much to tune in for. School is a waste of time, and home life isn't much better. All Benjie wants is for someone to believe in him, for someone to believe that he's more than a thirteen-year-old junkie. Told from the perspectives of the people in his life-including his mother, stepfather, teachers, drug dealer, and best friend-this powerful story will draw you into Benjie's troubled world and force you to confront the uncertainty of his future.
language: English
title: A Hero Ain't Nothin' But a Sandwich
titlecomplete: A Hero Ain't Nothin' But a Sandwich
genres: Banned Books, Mental Health, Childrens, Race, African American, Young Adult, School, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Realistic Fiction
ratings_count: 901
awards: awardedAt: 157795200000
name: Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, awardedAt: 126259200000
name: Jane Addams Children's Book Award, awardedAt: 126259200000
name: Coretta Scott King Book Award
category: Author Honor, awardedAt: 126259200000
name: National Book Award Finalist
category: Children's Books
publisher: Puffin Books