Dropping Beats
Dropping Beats by Nathanael Lessore is a young adult comedy published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers in 2025. This 288-page book follows the misadventures of thirteen-year-old Growls, an aspiring rapper, as he navigates the challenges of school, family, and friendship while preparing for the Raptology competition. With humor and heart, the story captures Growls’ journey to gain respect and win over his crush, Tanisha, amidst the ups and downs of adolescence.
Readers will find a narrative rich in themes of friendship and social dynamics, as Growls faces the fallout from a disastrous livestream practice that turns him into the laughingstock of his school. As he grapples with feelings of isolation after his best friend Shanks goes missing, he encounters a new girl, Siobhan, who brings a fresh perspective to his struggles. With determination and a sense of humor, Growls aims to reclaim his confidence and prove himself in the world of music and beyond.
Official synopsis Publisher
“Funny, bursting with heart, goofy, wise, and did I mention- wildly wonderfully funny.”
–Jon Scieszka, First National Ambassador of Young People’s Literature and Founder of Guys Read
A hilarious and heartfelt young YA comedy about the misadventures of an aspiring young rapper as he navigates school, family, and friendship.
Thirteen-year-old Growls (aka Shaun) is an aspiring (awful) rapper who hopes to enter this year’s Raptology competition with his best friend, Shanks (aka Zachariah). After all, what better way to land his crush (Tanisha) and get the respect he finally deserves than winning the contest and going viral?
But when a livestream practice goes epically wrong, the two friends do go viral- and not in the way they’d hoped.
Now the laughingstock of the school, Growls is sure he’ll never have another chance to date Tanisha. Even worse, Shanks has gone MIA, leaving him terribly alone.
But when Growls meets the new girl on the block (Siobhan), things don’t seem so terrible after all. And with some patience, a little luck, and a whole lot of practice, he just might win the Raptology competition and be a hero to both Siobhan and Shanks.
Either way, he’s ready for this. He’s steady for this. It’s comeback season and they call him comeback king for a reason.
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