The Roach King of Raleigh: A Young Adult Novel about Friendship, Survival, and Finding Hope When Life Falls Apart

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

From Schneider Family Award-winning author Shannon Stocker comes The Roach King of Raleigh, an unflinching YA novel about a high school sophomore who’s determined to rise above his circumstances—even if it means starting a secret roach breeding business. Even if it means letting people in.

Quill Jenkins used to have a great life: a picture-perfect family, a big house in a nice neighborhood, and a best friend he could count on. But then his friend moved away, his brother left for college, and his dad’s drinking caused his parents to split. Now Quill and his mom live in a broken-down rental house owned by a neglectful landlord, who also happens to be the father of Quill’s high school nemesis.

More than anything, Quill wants to save enough money for a new house, but his mom refuses to let him get a job. So when he finds a hidden attic space inside his closet, then overhears the pet store owner arguing with a delinquent roach breeder, an idea is born. He strikes a deal and starts breeding roaches in the hidden room, reluctantly working with his classmate Harley and Harley’s twin sister, Zuri, to keep the whole operation a secret.

But as the roach business takes off, new complications arise: his dad’s condition steadily worsens, his beloved neighbor Mr. Dave suddenly goes MIA, and Quill learns that the truth has a way of creeping into the light.

The Roach King of Raleigh:

• is a contemporary young adult novel for readers 13 and up and adult fans of YA
• comes from Shannon Stocker, the winner of the 2023 Schneider Family Award for Listen: How Evelyn Glennie, a Deaf Girl, Changed Percussion
• is a powerful coming-of-age story that explores poverty, addiction, neurodiversity, friendship, and resilience