Walter Dean MyersRezensionen

“Sergeant Brown looked betrayed. I felt like I had let him down. And now I had an even bigger problem. I wondered if he was going to call Judge Kelly and recommend that he send me back to juvie.”

This book is about a teenage boy named Kevin who got in trouble because he was the getaway driver in a robbery and he went to jail and was wondering if he could get on the right foot of trust with his teammates, coach, and everyone else. The conflict of the book is, at the beginning of the story Kevin commits a crime, but it isn’t his fault and then he goes to juvie after a while he gets out but people still judge him as a bad person so he struggles on the field.

The three main characters in this book are Sergeant Brown, Kevin, the main character, and Coach Hill. Sergeant Brown was the character who watched over Kevin when he was in trouble and out of jail and playing soccer. Kevin is the main character in this story. He got in trouble by association and went to jail and he played soccer. Coach Hill was the coach of Kevin's soccer team and he was very stern, especially towards Kevin after he got out of jail.

The theme of this story is don’t get in trouble even by association. While Kevin was not robbing he was the getaway driver for the robbery and that is what got him in trouble. And it developed a sense of mistrust between his coach and him for a while.

I recommend this novel because it is about sports and real life that can happen in real life.
Although it may seem confusing at first it all pieces up as the story goes on, so if you like crime sports, and real-life situations I would recommend this book for you.

Historical fiction about the draft riots of 1863, in a screenplay format.

Very quick read, which was great, but it was also very interesting. The way the author set up the book was unique and although the story ended with questions left unanswered, I feel that is what makes the book special. How reliable is the narrator? What really happened? “What did she see?”... great story...probably good for late middle school early high school readers because of some of the rape mentioning a in the prison, just FYI.

Representation: Black characters
Trigger warnings: Murder, imprisonment, physical assault and injury, blood depiction, drug use mentioned
Score: Six points out of ten.
Find this review on The StoryGraph.

I saw Monster displayed on the shelves of a library I went to so after I read another book, I immediately seized the opportunity to get it by picking it up. Afterwards, I read Monster, but when I finished it, I thought it had flaws that forced me to lower its rating. Maybe the original text will be a better reading experience for me.

It starts with the first person I see, Steve Harmon, who is arrested and awaiting trial for a murder accusation. He finds an opportunity to live through that journey like it is a movie, and thus the court case begins. There are some flashbacks to explain what happened before the police arrested Steve like the other characters who committed a robbery and, most prominently, the murder of a person. Despite Monster being under 200 pages, it still felt slow paced, allowing me to see the flaws, of which there are many. Why is the art black and white? I can understand that to be intentional, but I would've liked it if the art was full colour. The characters were hard to connect or relate with and the font was hard to read, dampening my reading experience. The conclusion petered out as the legal drama comes to an end.

I enjoyed this book. I liked the journal entries better than the film script parts though. Maybe that was because I read it too fast; I don't know. But I can say I have never read a novel like this before.

I read the original version first (the non graphic novel). I like the idea of this as a graphic novel, but after reading this I think the original book was a better format. The story is impactful in both formats, but I think it works better in the original.

This is a book about a school assignment. Sounds boring, right? Well, I think it managed to be as interesting as a book about a school assignment can be. See, there are these 8th graders: Zander, Kambui, Bobbi and LaShonda, collectively known as "The Cruisers" after an alternative school newspaper they produce. The Cruisers, all of them smart but unmotivated when it comes to school, are assigned to play the role of peacekeepers in a kind of mock Civil War going on at their school. The kids playing the part of the Confederacy take things too far, to the point where they offend people, especially the African-American students. Zander (who narrates the book) is one of the few black students at the school and the lead peacekeeper, so it ends up falling to him to put the Confederacy students in their place.

Zander has a unique way of putting things when he's trying to argue his point. For example, he won't get into a fight if he can't see the "win" in it. He keeps his cool as tempers flare over accusations of racism and arguments about free speech, so we get a pretty thoughtful, if slightly detached, discussion of slavery, history, and middle school culture. I wondered as I read if the Confederacy students really were purposely offensive, or if they were just callous or naive, but that's not really the point of the book. The point is how to deal with complex, senstive issues once they've been raised.

The book includes editorial pieces from The Cruiser as well as the official school paper. As I said, it's almost entirely focused on the Civil War assignment, but we do get to learn a little about the Cruisers' home lives. The parts with Zander and his actress mother were nice breaks from the school drama. I've heard there will be three other books to follow, probably one from the perspective of each Cruiser. Will they give up their lackadaisical attitude towards school by the end of the series? Maybe that's not the point...

This was a good book. 4.5 out of 5 stars. I did enjoy it, it was a good read, especially since I had family that was on Omaha Beach on D-Day, but I don't know. Something just wasn't there for me to give it that extra half star. I would still read it again, I'm glad I read it and I would recommend it for sure.

“Their whole lives are ahead of them, yet at the same time, death's whisper is everywhere.” knowing that they could die any day or see another day.

The novel's central conflict is that they are trying to take back the mainland of France and all the struggles and battles they are going through to take back the land. The conflict contributes to the meaning of the novel. This relates to the charter because it affects their lives. After all, if they get shot they die, but if they win they get to go back home. This affects the action of the plot because the Nazis determine if they take over France and they want to get rid of the nazis.

This book gives you the perspective of being in WWII and fighting to end the war in Europe and what life was like back then in the trenches. The only time that they are not in Europe fighting the war is when they are in boot camp at the beginning of the book. But in the beginning, there is a certain point when you want them to leave because they've been in boot camp for a long time. At some times you can see some of the commanders being rude to the charters but they have to because they have to get them ready for war.

Josiah Wedgewood was the story's protagonist; he was the one talking and narrating the book. He was a soldier in the 29th Army. He played a huge role because he stayed alive as they conquered France. The Nazis were the antagonists because they were trying to stop the Allied powers from taking back France and moving back to Germany. Their role was to delay the capture of France. Marcus Perry was the friend of Josiah; they went to the barracks and lived together. His role is to provide support for Josiah during the storming of France.

The theme is War and that war is no place for a person who doesn't want to fight for their country and is willing to die for their country. And I know that it is the central theme because the book is based on war and how it is a terrible place. Also, the theme is war. It's the whole book and what it's about that makes the theme of war because it happened in real life—and knowing if you will end up dead the next day or live to see your family again.

I recommend this novel, Invasion, because it's based on a true story. I like the war concept, books with action and fighting in real-world events are excellent. This novel is a story about a soldier getting drafted into the army and his journey through Europe. But the beginning until the middle of the book is boring because they are just boot camp and doing nothing but drills. Some of the drills were running 5 miles straight and the flag pole drill. So if you like war novels learning about history and books with realistic themes, you will like this novel.

I decided not to hold off longer on reading this last book in what was, back in the 1990s, the first major young adult fiction series featuring a multicultural cast of main characters. A group of friends.

And when a serious racial issue directly involves these friends, it presents a new-to-them question one of them ponders on.

How could people who spent so much time together react so differently to the same event?

While the book does keep it all on a YA, "10 years and up" reader's level, I appreciate the nuance in this story—that it isn't oversimplified into a convenient (and unrealistic) black-and-white conflict with everybody having the exact same opinions as others of the same race. Unsurprisingly, the N-word comes up in the dialogue a couple of times, from Black characters speaking from experience or explaining their feelings.

Now, although the issue of "free speech" is a part of the plot, no one (neither the history buff in the core group, nor any grownup) points out the fact that the constitutional right to the freedom of speech in the US is the right not to be censored by the federal government. It isn't the right to just say anything you want anywhere you want at any time when the government isn't involved in the situation, including various situations at school. Granted, that fact may be kind of beyond the scope and the point of this quick "10 years and up" novel, but it's still important to know.

There's plenty more going on in the book as well, including with Murphy High's ecology club and the school's need for recycling; one of the teen characters with only a learner's permit, practicing driving with another teen; a mysterious "Mad Soaper" who's been writing soapy messages on the school's walls; and a personal matter that shakes up one of the group's families.

The story closes on sort of a sad but affirming note. It feels like a story ending but not the ending of a series, and my author's mind can only make some guesses at why the series stopped at twelve novels. Even so, given the prominent element of diversity that made this YA series groundbreaking in its time, having the core group finally face the particular issue they face here doesn't make for a bad last stop on this 18 Pine St. journey.

In a riveting novel from Myers (At Her Majesty’s Request, 1999, etc.), a teenager who dreams of being a filmmaker writes the story of his trial for felony murder in the form of a movie script, with journal entries after each day’s action.

Steve is accused of being an accomplice in the robbery and murder of a drug store owner. As he goes through his trial, returning each night to a prison where most nights he can hear other inmates being beaten and raped, he reviews the events leading to this point in his life. Although Steve is eventually acquitted, Myers leaves it up to readers to decide for themselves on his protagonist’s guilt or innocence.

The format of this taut and moving drama forcefully regulates the pacing; breathless, edge-of-the-seat courtroom scenes written entirely in dialogue alternate with thoughtful, introspective journal entries that offer a sense of Steve’s terror and confusion, and that deftly demonstrate Myers’s point: the road from innocence to trouble is comprised of small, almost invisible steps, each involving an experience in which a “positive moral decision” was not made. (Fiction. 12-14)

-Kirkus Review

Here we have Book Eleven in what was, back in the 1990s, the first major young adult fiction series featuring a multicultural cast of main characters. While Sky Man and Kwame's Girl remain my favorites of the series, this book is all right.

I'll admit the setup of the story didn't have my full buy-in, though. I mean, I wouldn't necessarily put it completely past a certain type of teacher to give an assignment like this. Still, why would you think it's a good idea to have your teenaged students keep diaries about their lives for class, and then to make them exchange the diaries so that their classmates can take them home to read and analyze?

It seems the best all-too-likely negative outcomes would be a lot of incomplete, inauthentic, or outright dishonest diaries written either by kids nervous about recording what they know isn't going to remain totally private, or kids making stuff up in attempts to make their diaries impressive. It's also likely that such an assignment would lead to a disaster of leaked secrets and lies, exchanged and misplaced diaries falling into the wrong hands, juicy journal rumors spreading around the school, and a whole lot of anger, hurt feelings, humiliation, the breaking-up of friendships and/or romantic couples—whether or not the rumors about the involved parties are true...

Come on. These are super-basic possibilities to consider. Why would a high school teacher even try a project like this?

Anywho. Despite the silly setup, what mainly plays out for the characters here isn't silly. Also, like other books in the series, the serious issue at the crux of the plot is supplemented by everyday adolescent adventures and shenanigans.

Those include a diary-homework cheating scheme that leads to some tomfoolery. A litter of kittens in need of homes. A younger sister dealing with her first boyfriend.

And, of course, there's enough here for some pre-cellphone, pre-internet, pre-streaming '90s nostalgia, like kids calling each other on home phones, watching movies by way of a VCR, and passing notes to each other in class on pieces of paper.

Tee-HEE!

Along the way through this series, I skipped three of the books, and the next one, Book Twelve, is the last. Don't know yet whether I'll read it sooner than later or if I might "save" it longer to keep the series from concluding for me.

Includes map. Acknowledgment at front of book tells one reason why the author wrote the book.

Back matter: military glossary with slang, interview with the author

A glossary runs along the bottom of the pages like footnotes. Also “Before you move on”, discussion or writing or thought-provoking questions.

I think young adults who are of African American would love this book, not only because there is a black cowboy but something new and exciting.½

This book in under 40 pages taught me more about this fascinating black man than I ever learned in school. This book covers the first part of his life how he became free and what he did with his freedom. It's superbly illustrated, the story is well written, and altogether paints a beautiful illustration of a man all kids should learn about.

Heard on audiotape. The story was pretty lame. I wanted to like it, I wanted this to be an interesting story about rebellion against the megacorporations that are destroying our world, crushing the poor. Myers made a good effort at incorporating characters with diverse ethnic backgrounds, but too much of the story was people just rehashing and theorizing about what's going on, what they should do. I increased the speed on the audiotape to get the book over with. At the end, Dahlia makes a good point about needing to choose action which doesn't disrespect the very people you purport to help. a/k/a: the ends don't justify the means.

TBR

I would recommend for older students, to encourage thinking about the consequences of their actions. When does role-playing bleed over into real life? How do we develop our personal values and put them into action?

A historical novel presents the thoughts of a young soldier during war while capturing the feelings of being in battle through the sights, sounds, and struggles he experiences at the battle of Normandy during World War II.

I had never heard of dancer Juba before. It was very interesting to read about his story. I liked his friendship with Stubby and Jack and his interactions with Margret. I had never heard of John Diamond and minstrel dancing is something we glossed over in class so I think this book gives an important look into how that damaged Black dancers who simply wanted to dance. I also didn't know the impact of Irish dancing in New York. I genuinely had no idea it was so popular. After Juba finished his performance of the woodsman he met Charles Dickens and I was so surprised. Overall this book deals with dancer who just wants to dance but his obstacle is racism. (It is important to note that in order to have historical accuracy there is slurs present in the book and implied prostitution as well.)

Walter Dean Myers' novel Fallen Angels is a realistic depiction of young men fighting on the ground during the Vietnam War. The novel follows the protagonist, Richard Perry, as he enlists in the army at 17 and goes from Harlem to Vietnam to fight. Perry is not supposed to be on the front lines, because of knee injury he sustained playing basketball, but Myers quickly shows the reader how the bureaucracy of war cares little about the human cost, and Perry is thrown into combat. The story revolves around his squad, and follows the friendships of the men as they evolve, enduring the horrors of war together, including guerrilla style combat with the Vietcong, and the painful reality of growing up way too fast in a unnecessary conflict half-way around the world. Myers' story is an accurate and sobering depiction of war, as well as coming of age story that is both heartwarming at points, and heartbreaking at others. Myers questions the morality of war in general and this war in particular, and demonstrates how African Americans continued to face racist discrimination at this time, even on the battlefield. It is a thoughtful and impactful reflection of a tumultuous and violent point in American history.

While on trial as an accomplice to a murder, sixteen-year-old Steve Harmon records his experiences in prison and in the courtroom in the form of a film script as he tries to come to terms with the course his life has taken. Very powerful story about wrongful accusations.

This interesting story shows the importance of a mentor in a preteen boy's life, as he tries to make sense of his family's behavior and to deal with street life and racism.½