Blood Is Thicker
Overview
This sequel to Until We Meet Again follows the story of Hakeem Randall after his move to Detroit. Far from Bluford High, Hakeem quickly finds himself in a world of trouble, and his family is at the center of it. To complicate matters, a new girl hopes to make him forget Darcy forever.
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The Bluford Series is a Proven Gateway to Reading
Millions of teens have discovered or rediscovered the joy of reading with this collection of young adult novels set at Bluford High School. Here’s why:
- Engaging topics: Characters in the Bluford Series face situations that middle- and high-schoolers care about, making them want to read.
- Emotional depth: Bluford books tell gripping stories and carry an emotional punch. Each can be read alone but is also connected to events in other books. Readers join a complex world they want to explore.
- Uplifting stories: Each book celebrates teens who make positive choices, especially when such actions are difficult or unpopular.
- Accessible writing: This groundbreaking hi-lo series has content sophisticated enough for high-school students, while reading level is between 5th and 6th grade Lexile range: 570–760.
- Short length: Each novel in the Bluford Series contains fewer than 200 pages, motivating readers to finish their books—a pivotal step toward becoming regular readers!
- Broad appeal: Action, suspense, mystery, and romance fill the pages of the Bluford Series, offering something for all readers—boys and girls alike.
- Proven success: Students, teachers, parents, librarians, researchers, and policymakers agree: The Bluford Series can transform nonreaders into avid readers.
- Great Price: Priced at $4 individually or $3 when purchased as part of a set, Bluford novels offer an unbeatable value.
Paul Langan
Born in Philadelphia, Paul Langan spent his early childhood in the city before moving with his single mother to southern New Jersey. There he attended public school and worked a variety of jobs—including salesperson at a shoe store, attendant at a horse ranch, landscaper at a mental hospital, and a night-shift stockperson in a warehouse store near Atlantic City. “Each job,” he says today, “could be the topic of several juicy novels.”
In 1991, he enrolled at Camden County College and a year later transferred to La Salle University, where he studied creative writing and literature, earning a B.A. in English. While at La Salle, he lived with international students, traveled to his roommate’s home in Kenya, became a prison tutor, and found “the courage” to write.
After graduation, he worked for a nonprofit agency in Philadelphia and then joined Townsend Press (TP) as an Assistant Editor. After he contributed to a number of TP textbooks and taught English at a community college, Paul reconnected to his interests in creative writing through the Bluford Series. Originally working as an assistant with the Bluford novels, Paul’s role steadily grew. He now serves as both editor of the series and author or coauthor of several novels, including The Bully, The Gun, and The Fallen. His stories reflect his personal experiences, including the difficulties of growing up without a father, being the “new kid” in school, and dealing with the loss of a loved one.
In 2001, Paul completed a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to expanding the Bluford Series, he dreams of writing a successful movie script, preferably a “supernatural thriller.” Today Paul lives with his wife and three children near Philadelphia and stubbornly clings to the hope that he will one day see the Philadelphia Eagles win the Super Bowl.
You may contact Paul by writing to him at:
Paul Langan
Townsend Press
439 Kelley Drive
West Berlin, NJ 08091
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Devan Blackwell
Author and educator Devan Blackwell has been writing since the second grade when he published a picture book as part of a class project. In the years that followed, writing would continue to be the medium through which he found an outlet to be creative, to educate, and to inspire.
An educator in New Jersey’s urban school districts, Devan’s personal mission has always been to assist young people reach their highest potential. For his efforts in youth advocacy, he has earned recognition from The Rainbow Coalition/PUSH, and The National Campaign for Tolerance. In 2004, his name was added to The Wall of Tolerance in Montgomery, Alabama, a monument which honors people who have pledged to take a stand against hate crimes, injustice, and intolerance.
Prior to that, Devan earned a MA in Media Studies from New School University in New York City, a BA in Literature & Language Arts from Stockton State College, and attended the Artist/Teacher Institute at Rutgers (both in New Jersey).
Drawing on some of the methods he used to overcome his own adolescent and personal struggles, Devan created the curriculum for Build To Be®, a personal development lifestyle for Children, Teens, and In-Betweens.
As an author of young adult novels, Devan has found another way to reach his audience and speak to them. To make his work more “authentic,” the author will typically research the inner lives of his characters, often “going where they live and doing what they do” while in the process of creating their stories.
To contact Devan Blackwell, visit: www.buildtobe.com.