R.J. Feliciano 
Kite Wars 

Florindo, dont let go! I yelled as he ran along side me. Are you ready? No, no, dont let go, Im not readdyyyy!In spite of my pleas, he let go. My heart thumped faster than my feet could pedal, while sweat gushed from my head as children, bikers and cars came at me from every direction. My grip on the handlebars was hard enough to squeeze chrome juice. Riding his first two-wheeler, flying a kite armed with razorblades, or sliding over concrete into home plate are all in a days play for a twelve-year-old in the 1953 tenement streets of New Yorks East Harlem. This story takes you to a fleeting time we once knew where everything was new and fun and an adventure. Climb aboard this exciting ride with our hero, his best buddies Filthy and Florindo, his nemesis Garbanzo and his personal tormenter named Norma to Coney Island, battles on rooftops, comical camping escapades and a disastrous boys in tights dance recital. And yes, his first love.