Blood Brothers by Colleen Nelson

A Winnipeg Free Press Bestseller! [*] In the Margins Book Award, Top Ten Selection
[*] CCBC's Best Books for Kids & Teens (Fall 2017) Selection
Close as brothers, Jakub's and Lincoln's lives diverge when Jakub gets a private school scholarship and Lincoln is lured into a gang.
Fifteen-year-old Jakub Kaminsky is the son of Polish immigrants, a good Catholic boy, and a graffiti artist. While his father sleeps, Jakub and his best friend, Lincoln, sneak out with spray paint to make their mark as Morf and Skar.

When Jakub gets a scholarship to an elite private school, he knows it's his chance for a better life. But it means leaving Lincoln and the neighbourhood he calls home.
While Jakub's future is looking bright, Lincoln's gets shady as he is lured into his brother's gang. Jakub watches helplessly as Lincoln gets pulled deeper into the violent world of the Red Bloodz. The Red Bloodz find out Jakub knows more than he should about a murder and want him silenced - for good. Lincoln has to either save his friend, or embrace life as one of the Red Bloodz.