Drive-By (Harper Trophy Books)

Book Description

"Jimmy always told me there were only two kinds of gangbangers: Those who were dead and those who were going to die. Joining a gang doesn't make sense to Jimmy..."

Jimmy is dead now -- gunned down in front of his little sister, Mina, and his brother, Tito. And Tito is left wondering: Was Jimmy in a gang after all? Ice Breaker Joe and Lamar think so. They say Jimmy was skimming their drug money. And if the missing cash isn't returned, Tito may have to pay -- with his life.Some people go to the crossroads, but Tito's crossroads laid themselves down in front of him. His brother Jimmy sprawls on the sidewalk at his feet. Shot in a drive by. Now a gang claims that Jimmy was their Ace Man. They say Tito must take his place and resolve some unfinished business. They give him a gun. "You need protection. It's not safe on the street." What path will be choose at the crossroads? He knows one leads to safety and one to death . . . but which is which?

1997 Recommended Books for Reluctant Young Readers (ALA)
1997 Books for the Teen Age (NY Public Library)
1999 Arizona Young Readers' AwardSome people go to the crossroads, but Tito's crossroads laid themselves down in front of him. His brother Jimmy sprawls on the sidewalk at his feet. Shot in a drive by. Now a gang claims that Jimmy was their Ace Man. They say Tito must take his place and resolve some unfinished business. They give him a gun. "You need protection. It's not safe on the street." What path will be choose at the crossroads? He knows one leads to safety and one to death . . . but which is which?

1997 Recommended Books for Reluctant Young Readers (ALA)
1997 Books for the Teen Age (NY Public Library)
1999 Arizona Young Readers' Award

Customer Reviews:

Good Book For Teens.......2007-07-27

My daughter read this book in school & made me order it, I think it's an excellent book for tens.

Drive By.......2006-12-01

Titos brother got shot by gang members. Titos,mom,cop found the killers. Titos big brothergot shot by his own gang. Titos big brother saved money for them so they can move out cause he knew he was going to die. friends were helping Tito,some of them protected Tito. When Tito went to his old house and started snooping around he saw the gangmembers car outside then he hid his friend grabbed him and dragged him into the neighbor yard. Its a good thing Titos neighbor let him live with her. Tito's family had to find who killed Titos brother ,where theylive,hangout,where they go all the time,and what kind of car they drive?you have to read the whole book to find out the information.

Drive-By.......2006-10-20

They killed his brother Jimmy, and now they are out searching for him. At the beginning of this book, as Tito, Mira, and Jimmy were coming from a little girl's birthday party and all of a sudden, as they are walking; a car comes past them and shoots Jimmy. Mira and Tito think that he is playing a joke on him until they notice that he is bleeding and they see that the car drove off. When the police come to the seen they tell Mira and Tito that the shooting was gang related. Tito disagrees with them because he didn't know that his brother was apart of the gang. Soon after the shooting the family has to relocate to the next door neighbors house because of the lack of money for the bills and because people had been breaking inside their house and writing graffiti on the walls and shooting outside of the door. One night while Mira was sleeping Tito snuck out because he heard noises outside and when he got out there it was his old friend Gus. So he went with Gus to the nearby burger place because he had offered to buy him some food, and sitting there, on the car that was using to kill his brother, were the three men that killed his brother. That was when Tito realized that his old friend was actually apart of the people who killed Jimmy and they tell him that Jimmy was their "Ace Man" and that if Tito didn't want to end up like his brother, then he has to give them what Jimmy owed them. That is also when Tito realizes that his brother really was a gang member and then Tito went in search for what they owed them because he didn't want to be killed too So after that he goes to the most logical place that he could think of and looked under the house and found a suitcase full of money and a note to him from his brother saying that " ...if Tito found this then he was probably dead" and how gangbanging is fun at first then so you end up dying. So in the end Tito sets them up and gets them caught by the police trying to find the money that is under the house. I would recommend this book to teenagers who want a short and interesting book to read. It is good if you are the type of person who wants to read a murder-mystery type book with a decent plotline.

This book is good if you are the type of person who enjoys reading a short and to the point book. It was a considerably short book but because it was that way more of the details were more to precise. When all of the men from the drive by came and began to cover their house with graffiti, it wasn't that long of a period of time between then and the funeral of his brother. Also when Mira kept running away it wasn't a prolonged search for her, they just found her and return her in between two chapters.

Drive- By by Lynne Ewing was a good murder mystery type of book. It was a murder story because it had the fact that Tito's brother Jimmy was killed in a drive by. And on the other hand it was a mystery too because Tito had to find out if his brother was really in a gang or not because he always thought that he worked at the restaurant/burger place. In turn it was both because during the whole book, he didn't realize who actually killed his brother.

The book's plotline was ok. It wasn't the best because it was short and quick. Which made parts of it hard to understand because the different situations changed very rapidly. Such as when they moved into the neighbor's, Mrs. Washington, house it changed so quickly from when he was in the bathroom hiding from the people with the graffiti that you didn't really see the transition points.

If you are the type of person who enjoys a book with a decent murder-mystery type plotline and is short and interesting this book is for you. Drive- By is short, concise and to the point which makes it a little more enjoyable. The plotline isn't the best but the problem of the story makes you more interested and wanting to read more because you want to know if his brother was really invloved in the gang and what Tito owes them.

-N. Brooks

Not a very good book.......2006-10-19

Drive By, in my personal opinion, is not a very good book. This book is okay if you want a short book without much plot. First of all it was very short with not much room for plot or detail of the story. Second it all seemed to run together like one big sentence. And finally I felt I didn't get to know the characters they were just there.
As I said the book was very short and didn't have much room for detail it seemed to jump from the man being shot to them solving the mystery of who really was to the end very quickly. If they book had a couple extra pages they could have put more detail in all the events occurring showing things. It seemed to me all the times the families' house was broken into happened in one day when it must have been stretched out over a week or two. Also when Tito's friend turned out to be a gangster it seemed that he changed very quickly, when also it must have taken a week or two.
Also as I said it seemed to be one big sentence. This goes with it was short, it took me a short period of time to read this book because I couldn't put it down, I just wanted to finish the paragraph but it seemed to go on until the end. All of it seemed to happening really quickly with no stops at all. There wasn't a dull moment in the book it was go, go, go.
And finally the characters I wanted to get to know them who they were, what they liked, and what they didn't like. All we really knew about the main character, Tito, was that he had a brother that got shot, a young sister, and that's about it. I felt the author could have added more about the characters and made you feel more like a friend to the character.
So in conclusion this was okay but I wouldn't re-read it. I would recommend it to someone on vacation that just wants a little something without much thought or concentration. All in all it was all right but not exactly to my standards of a good book.
S. Bricker

Thriller.......2005-12-24

This was a great book but way too short. I really got into the book as soon as I finished the first chapter when they talking about Jimmy getting shot and then Mina sits on the porch and cries and Tito can't do anything about his brother. This was a great book and I encourage all to read it.

Average customer rating:

Strong, character driven drama
Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Ricochet
Julie Gonzalez
Manufacturer: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Issues | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Violence | Social Issues | Teens | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0385732287
Release Date: 2007-04-10

Book Description

A bully.

A gun.

A dare.

A friendship ripped apart.

An instant in which Connor Kaeden's life changes forever. . . .

Customer Reviews:

Strong, character driven drama.......2007-04-23

This is an engrossing read with an intelligent, well-crafted style that will remind the reader of the author's first novel, Wings. But although these stories both combine realism with a mystical undertone, they are altogether different. As in her first book, Julie Gonzalez creates a strong and convincing masculine point of view with narrator Conner Kaeden. Conner lives with the chilling nightmare of having watched as his closest friend was killed with a gun by another boy during a game of chance. Conner is bright and artistic and his emotional pain is pervasive. Like Wings, the chapters are wistful vignettes, generally brief, sometimes as short as a few lines. In this book, chapters bounce in a non-chronological timeline as memories bombard Conner - memories of his friend Daniel, of the fateful night in which Daniel died, and events from earlier in their shared childhood. Another common theme in this author's two novels is the importance to the central character and theme of family. In both novels we see loving parents who agonize over their sons' demons - struggling to understand the predicaments consuming their families. Yet another common denominator is the closeness that develops between the brothers in both stories. Conner and his brother James bond after the shooting in ways they never had before, just as Ian and Ben bond so beautifully in Wings.

The short scenes are tightly written with lyrical beauty. Particularly moving is a scene with Daniel's mother, in which Conner asks, "But don't you hate me? I was there." Her answer is the heart of what Conner must learn to accept. Another excellent characterization is that of Conner's wise and kind violin teacher, who always manages to do and say the right thing.

The story is about Conner's quest for forgiveness; perhaps the greatest lesson he learns about the subject is when he himself realizes he must also learn to forgive another's offense.

The author wisely and carefully sidesteps making any political message for this gun related story. This is a story about the effect of the event on the main characters and not about taking a stand on either side of this volatile issue.

Julie Gonzalez creates beautiful, serious stories filled with well-developed characters and relationships. Her writing is thought provoking and emotionally charged as well as warm. I look forward to more works by this author.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too.......2007-04-10

Four boys. An abandoned rooftop. A gun. A game of Russian-roulette.

Connor Kaeden's life is changed forever. He and one friend are on probation. Another "friend" is in jail. His best friend is dead. What happens next?

Every one of Connor's relationships has been affected. His parents now question his every move. His younger brother won't even look at him. His older brother suddenly starts including him in his late-night escapades. His best friend's mother hugs him and tells him to visit anytime. Connor lives his days with constant reminders about what happened on that deserted rooftop, and the guilt that he should have done something to stop it.

With the help of his probation officer, Connor gets a job at a local hardware store hoping to earn the money to repay the fines and court costs his parents incurred. The work is satisfying and helps Connor with more than just money. Connor also finds relief when he resumes playing his violin. He often finds himself stopping work in the store's garden center to jot down a few bars of music that seem to express the turmoil in his mind. Basically, Connor tries to get his life back to what it once was. But is that even possible?

RICOCHET by Julie Gonzalez explores the emotional journey from tragedy to the gradual return of what might begin to pass for normal daily existence. This soul-searching, emotion-packed novel follows one young man and his family through the aftermath of one senseless act.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

Average customer rating:

Death at Devil's Bridge
Cornwall, NY Sixth Grader
Death at devils Bridge
Death At Devil's Bridge
Kelly's opinion of Death at Devil's Bridge: Boring

Death at Devil's Bridge
Cynthia Defelice
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0064410374
Release Date: 2002-04-30

Book Description

Thirteen-year-old Ben Daggett is looking forward to his summer job as first mate on a charter fishing boat on Martha's Vineyard. Then, on his first day out, he spots a strange object in the water -- a red Porsche. The driver is missing. Donny, an older teenager, knows something, but he's not telling. Donny has his own car, and Ben would give anything to hang out with him. But Donny's involved in something shady, and Ben finds out that the price of friendship may be more than he can afford to pay.

Customer Reviews:

Death at Devil's Bridge .......2006-02-09

If you want the best mystery book ever than read Death at Devil's Bridge By Cynthia Defalice. Hi I'm Stephen and I'm 10 years old. I read many mystery books in my time but this is the best one. Now I will tell all my opinions and you will like this book I'm sure What I like about this book is how Cynthia Defalice makes you think something is going to happen but it doesn't and she makes you keep wanting to read the book.

I like how in the story the author Donny [one of the characters] like the coolest guy on the Island. She also really works on the characters personality like the main character Ben Cynthia Defalice makes his personality curious and he thinks about what he's doing. I would recommend this for a person who wants an all some mystery book. And a person in fourth grade or higher. And will want to read the book. This is the best mystery book I ever read.

READ THIS BOOK

Cornwall, NY Sixth Grader.......2006-02-01

I am a sixth grader; I have read the book Death at Devils Bridge by Cynthia Defelice. This book is about a boy named Ben Dagget a 12 year old boy, who is a local to Martha'sVinyard. He was looking forward to a great profitable summer working on a charter fishing boat. He expected to be spending his vacation time helping and entertaining all of the tourists. But then his summer gets weird once he found the sunken Porsche. The wealthy owner of the Porsche, Maddox, was caught up with drugs and alcohol. He was selling drugs as a tourist to a man named Ray and gave him an uneven amount of drugs. Ray did not like this and decided to kill him and let his body go in the ocean. A sixteen year old boy named Donny gets involved with Ray and distributing the drugs. Donny then starts hanging out with two thirteen year olds, Jeff and Ben, so they will deliver the drugs for him. Donny took them for rides in his car in order to make Jeff and Ben like him more. Ben and Jeff get into a situation once they find out what they are delivering. I think this book was great! The things that happened were unrealistic at times because the boys were only thirteen. This book may be inappropriate for a younger reader because of the drugs and alcohol it centered around. Its lessons are very valuable and every one can learn that smoking and selling pot, would definitely be the biggest mistake of your life. Trying to avoid getting in trouble by not telling the truth is also not the right answer. So, if you want to read a book that is an experience that teaches right from wrong, read Death at Devil's Bridge.

Death at devils Bridge.......2005-11-30

This book showed that when you try to do somthing right you can maybe mess up the whole town

Death At Devil's Bridge.......2004-03-09

Death at Devil's Bridge
****

I read the book Death at Devil's Bridge by Synethia D'Felice. I would give it four out of five stars. It was a great book that always left you hanging and making you want to keep reading. It takes a while for the action to start, but once it does you'll never want to stop reading it.

The book is about a boy named Ben Dagget and his best friend Jeff. They live out on an island called Martha's Vinyard. The two boys are on summer vacation and the tourists have taken over the island, like they do every year. One day Ben's summer changes when he finds a sunken Porsche at the bottom of the ocean, and it turns out that the owner of the car is missing. Ben later finds out that his role model, Donny Madison, has sunken the car. He has also stolen things from ships, and stores around the island. Ben desperately wants to be friends with him, but how far will he go to get his approval?

As the book goes on Ben and Jeff start hanging out with Donny a lot. Donny tries to get them to try beer, but the just pretend to. They have to make the right choices throughout the whole book, and I would say the theme of the book would be "making the right decisions" and also peer pressure. One day Jeff and Ben were down at Devil's Bridge flying their airplane when they spot something floating in the water. It turns out that's it's the body of Cameron Maddox, the owner of the Porsche. Ben and Jeff run to the police and tell them everything that happened. The only thing is they don't want to rat on their friend Donny about the stolen stuff and the drugs he's been selling. They don't know what to do, and have to figure out things with Donny. Will Ben and Jeff make the right decision, or will they be faced with drug dealing with Donny?

Kelly's opinion of Death at Devil's Bridge: Boring.......2002-12-05

Ben and Jeff get caught up with a life-threating drug situation. A red Porsche is found in the water and the body of Cameron Maddox was found at Devil's Bridge. Ben and Jeff start to deal drugs, get involved in the the murder, and try to stay alive.
My reaction to the story was that its plot was like the movies. You know what's going to happen, but it still surpises you. The characters seem realistic. Reaching a point of interest in this book was hard. The part that got me to read was when they found the red Porsche in the water. The story started to go downhill then back uphill. It was also too short. Cynthia DeFelice could have added a twist to the plot, and more details about places.
If somebody asked me about the book, I would say its somewhat average. I'm not a big mystery fan, but if I was, I think its average like I said earlier. Parts of the book were excellent. Some of the concepts in this book is for mature young people. I would recommend Death at Devil's Bridge to people ages 11 and up.

Average customer rating:

Disappointed
Perhaps Marsh's Single Finest Work
Marsh, Sayers, Allingham -- I love you all.
Surfeit indeed
Lampreys, meet the Lampreys...

Death of a Peer
Ngaio Marsh
Manufacturer: Amereon Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0884114813

Book Description

Murder becomes a family affair...

The Lampreys were a charming, eccentric happy-go-lucky family, teetering on the edge of financial ruin. Until the gruesome murder of their uncle-and unpleasant Marquis, who met his untimely death while leaving the Lamprey flat-left them with a fortune. Now it's up to Inspector Roderick Alleyn to sift through the alibis to discover which Lamprey hides a ruthless killer behind an amiable facade...

Customer Reviews:

Disappointed.......2006-03-15

It says something about Amazon - I'm not sure what - that I was asked to review this book. That's because I've been waiting for several months and Amazon still has not sent me the book!

Perhaps Marsh's Single Finest Work.......2005-06-02

The Lampreys are a family seemingly lifted from one of playwright Noel Coward's most brilliant comedies: they are charming, clever, eccentric, and virtually everyone who encounters them soon falls under their spell. Unfortunately, they are also among the most financially irresponsible aristocrats imaginable, always going broke. Even so, they have always managed to escape the public humiliation of bankruptcy--until, that is, a dubious business partnership explodes around them.

Only one hope stands between the Lampreys and complete disaster: that Lord Charles Lamprey's older brother, Lord Wutherwood, may be enticed to come to the rescue. But Lord Wutherwood is largely immune to the legendary Lamprey family charm--and more than a little miserly--and the mix of eccentricity, family titles, and money proves lethal.

Written on the eve of World War II, many critics regard DEATH OF A PEER (also published as A SURFEIT OF LAMPREYS) as Ngaio Marsh's single finest novel. I think that's arguable, but no matter how you look at, it is certainly one of Marsh's best. Marsh's skill at creating fascinating characters and memorable settings often outstrips her way with a plot--but in this instance the elements balance beautifully, and the result is a pager-turner from start to finish. Strongly recommended.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer
In Memory of Ellen R. Smith, 1920-2005
Virtuoso Pianist and Good Friend

Marsh, Sayers, Allingham -- I love you all........2001-02-14

I know for a fact that I've read this book at least four times. Once when I was barely pubescent and had no idea that Ngaio Marsh was an important mystery author. Again in my 20's when I seriously started to read Marsh's books (an had forgotten that I'd read Death of a Peer). Once more in my 40's for the heck of it, and now, once again. The best recommendation I can ever make is that this is an immensely re-readable book.

One doesn't read a classic English mystery story for the puzzle, as perplexing as that might be, but for the wonderful settings and characters. Lord Peter, Albert Campion, and Marsh's Roderick Alleyn are all not just great detectives but fascinating people that you would love to have as friends. What makes Marsh especially strong is how much detail she gives to her supporting cast.

The Lampreys are all perfect jewels of the story tellers art. They are the classic eccentric, down on their luck, British nobility. Too busy being noble and sincerely lovable to remember to be practical. They are all charming, and your heart will also go out to Roberta Grey, one of the Lamprey's particular friends.

Other reviewers have gone over the plot, so I'm not going to bore you with details. Suffice it to say you will be alternatively delighted and and horripilated (I think that's the word) as the book moves from light hearted comedy to a rather ghoulish end game. Everything the mystery addict could ever want!

There are many good reasons to read this book. It is one of the novels that helped define the British mystery story doyen. Ngaio Marsh is on of the most important writers in that genre (even if she isn't quite British), and Death of a Peer is certainly one of her best books.

But the real reason to read it is that it is simply very, very good. If you have never read a Marsh book this is a great way to start. If you have, you know what you're missing.

Surfeit indeed.......2000-11-27

This book generally is considered Marsh's best mystery, but I dissent. It is more a comedy of manners with an incidental murder. Those who value the puzzle plot most should look elsewhere. BTW, the English title is Surfeit of Lampreys, a much better title than the dreary Death of a Peer. And I agree...a little lamprey goes a looooong way.

Lampreys, meet the Lampreys..........2000-06-26

not by any means your average family. A throw-back to happier times, they are typical, impoverished English peers, through whose fingers money slips like water. They generally don't worry though, since something always comes through and saves them from their latest financial crisis. This time, though, they might be in trouble, if Uncle G., Lord Charles Lamprey's wealthy older brother, decides not to come to their financial rescue. As it happens, he's had enough of pulling the Lamprey fat out of the fire. The Lampreys think they're finished when Uncle G. is murdered in the ghastliest manner, and they gain their inheritance, narrowly averting a financial scandal. The only problem is, did one of them do it? So of course, Inspector Alleyn steps in to get to the bottom of the crime. While I am a general fan of Ngaio Marsh, I think that this is one of her better novels, as she draws a very vivid picture of the large Lamprey family, seen through the eyes of their friend, Roberta Grey. She successfully mixes the aristocracy with witchcraft, facts about New Zealand, and introduces us to a young version of P.C. Lamprey (a minor character that you meet in other novels, chiefly, _Night at the Vulcan_). All in all, an excellent whodunit.

Average customer rating:

Death Of A Peer
Ngaio MARSH
Manufacturer: Jove Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GHA4YE

Average customer rating:

Real tear-jerker!
Excellent choice for second language learners!!

Secret Friends
Elizabeth Laird
Manufacturer: Putnam Juvenile
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0399233342

Customer Reviews:

Real tear-jerker!.......2004-08-15

One book that I will never forget is Secret Friends by Elizabeth Laird. I read this when I was about 7 and I bawled my eyes out. I cried so much I couldn't keep reading, even if I had wanted to, I just couldn't see.

I passed it on to my Mum's friend, Wendy, (because she caught me crying one night and asked why) and she admitts that she cried too.

It's not very long, but it's a beautiful touching story.

Excellent choice for second language learners!!.......1999-07-13

I strongely recommend this book to second language learners who are tired of silly "detective" story. This story captured both your attention and your emotion. It tells the friendship between Lucy, a local girl and Rafaella, a foreign one. Since the story is told from Lucy's point of view, her struggle to overcome the racial barrier and peer pressure is portraited vividly. Readers just couldn't help forgetting Lucy when we undergo the same pains as she goes through.

Average customer rating:

Bullyville
Francine Prose
Manufacturer: HarperTeen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Bullies | Issues | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature & Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books

Being a Teen | Social Issues | Teens | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0060574976
Release Date: 2007-09-18

Book Description

My father was killed on 9/11.

When eighth grader Bart Rangely is granted a "mercy" scholarship to an elite private school after his father is killed in the North Tower, doors should have opened. Instead, he is terrorized and bullied by his own mentor. So begins the worst year of his life.

The Battle of Jericho (Coretta Scott King Author Honor Books)

Average customer rating:

Heart touching story "The Battle of Jericho"
True
Katherine's Review
A Disappointment
Great storytelling

The Battle of Jericho (Coretta Scott King Author Honor Books)
Sharon M. Draper
Manufacturer: Atheneum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

School | Issues | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Issues | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature & Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0689842325

Book Description

"Are you willing to do anything to help your slimy pledge brothers become Distinguished Gentlemen?" Sharp demanded.
"Anything, sir," Jericho said. He just wanted it to be over.
"Then suck my big toe."

"Sir?" Jericho wasn't sure if he had heard correctly....

When Jericho is invited to pledge for the Warriors of Distinction, he thinks his life can't get any better. As the most exclusive club in school, the Warriors give the best parties, go out with the hottest girls, and sail through their classes. And when Arielle, one of the finest girls in his class, starts coming on to him once the pledge announcements are made, Jericho is determined to do anything to become a member....

But as the initiation week becomes progressively harrowing, Jericho is forced to make choices he's not entirely comfortable with. And one member seems to have it in for the sole female pledge in the group...a pledge who will stop at nothing to show she can handle the pressure. But when is she being pushed too far, and when should Jericho and his friends step in and risk losing their places in the pledging process? As Jericho becomes increasingly uneasy, his cousin Joshua breezes through the initiation, never thinking of the consequences, even when the fine line between fun and games, and life and death is crossed.

Sharon M. Draper proves once again that she knows just how real kids think, act, and feel in this haunting story of peer pressure, popularity, and hazing.

Customer Reviews:

Heart touching story "The Battle of Jericho".......2006-10-17

This book is AMAZING. You never lose intrest. It keeps you going. It is also very touching. It tells about the things that kids will go through just to be cool under peer pressure. But what you have to realize is the danger you could be putting yourself into. It is the best book that you will have read ever or in a very long time. Sharon Draper is a wonderful author. i would recommend this book to anyone as my first choice. It is also great for any teen looking forward to get into reading. This book is definitely a good way to get started.I give this book 10 stars!!!!!

True.......2006-06-02

This story will grab you at the beginning. You learn about the teenage mind and how it is to be pressured into being "cool". Josh, the main character, is sucked into a world of wanting. Wanting to be with the so called Warriors. The truth is they aren't the easiest group to get into. Everyone thinks they are so great, all the boys want to be like them, the girls love them, and they are like the kings of the high school. But to get in to the group you must attempt unbelieveable stunts.

Dana, female character who wants to be in the group even though it is a boys one, secretly joins. They make her get the worst oo it and her life is put in danger. Over all it is suspenseful, keeps you guessing on the next task they might have to go through. All through the book you think about what a teen has to go through because "cool" is in.
Nice book, should be read.

Katherine's Review.......2006-01-18

The Battle of Jericho is about a teenager named Jericho and his friends getting into the club, the Warriors of Destruction. I actually give all the Sharon Draper books 5 stars. At first, the book is hard to get into, but after maybe the fifth chapter of the book, it starts to get interesting. Then, you just can't put it down. The Battle of Jericho is fiction. This book is for ages 14 and up. I don't think younger kids would understand and it might be hard to cope if you're too young. I even cried. Also, this book is an exciting and emotional book, because it made me cry, laugh and get mad. It's a very good book. I think that girls and boys could read The Battle of Jericho.

The main characters are Jericho, Josh, Kofi, Ariel, November and Dana. The Warriors of Destruction is a club at Jericho's school that everyone wants to be apart of yet it's very hard to get in. They chant this song every time they have a dance or after an accomplishment. Jericho, Josh, Kofi, and Dana are all trying to be apart of this club.

The Christmas toy drive is getting everyone closer together. It lets the leaders know how the new pledges will act if they're selected. So far everyone that was asked to help with the toy drive is still on board. The warriors dance is here and everyone's got a date and they're being asked to join the Warriors of Destruction but someone slips in and signs up no girls allowed. Yet they have to let Dana in because she signed up a while ago and she's already said the pledge and swore to the silence of the brotherhood. The first night of the activities is they make them do... will they let Dana in the club or just let her be in just give her some extra trouble? How far will they have to go to get in this club? How dangerous will the stunts be? How far will the leaders push their limits to the beyond and farther? I think you should read this book and I promise you will enjoy this book The Battle of Jericho!

A Disappointment.......2006-01-16

The Battle of Jericho is exciting. Unfortunately, what began as a book with a lot of potential has a disapointing ending, poorly developed characters, and heinously bad writing.

Josh, who we are obviously supposed to like, has no depth--his only role is the main character's cousin. Arielle, as Jericho's girlfriend, is similarly undeveloped; she's nice, she's funny, she's pretty...boring. The only character I felt sympathy for was Dana, who is not all that realistic--too much of a super-heroine--but at least is more developed and interesting.

Draper doesn't pursue a lot of loose ends in the plot, either. Jericho turns down a scholarship to Julliard in favor of the Warriors of Distinction--how does that make him feel? What are the consequences? Apparently, this major life decision has none, or maybe Draper's just too lazy to tell us what they are.

Her writing is terrible; some of the dialogue literally made me wince. Her use of slang feels canned and fake; her descriptions of the characters' thoughts are similarly artificial.

Although I realized long before the end that the book did not deserve the Coretta Scott King award which it won, the one thing that kept me going was hope of a good ending. I was once again disappointed. Draper gives laughably obvious clues as to how it will turn out...they're drinking whisky, they're going to take "a leap of faith"--let's guess how this is going to end. I admit I was surprised at who the victim was, but I found that I really didn't care--Draper never did anything to make me feel sympathetic to him.

This book has a lot of potential; the plot is not terribly realistic, but it is exciting. If only it could have been rewritten and developed into something more than a good idea.

Great storytelling.......2005-11-27

A hazing incident culminates in loss of life at a high school where select teens compete to become members of a prestigious and long-standing community service organization. Jericho is excited to be chosen and happy that his circle of friends are also being invited into the inner circle, but as the initiation events become more intense, his discomfort level increases. Not only must Jericho examine his priorities (belonging to a social club verses preparing for his future career) but he also calls into question his personal ethics. Do girls deserve the same chances as boys, even when their emotional and physical well-being is threatened? Does being a man mean you shut up, or stand up?

The realistic plot raises many issues for discussion, including sex roles, peer pressure and hazing. The ending has a clever twist, with Draper manipulating the reader into thinking another character might be lost. However, reading this book was frustrating on several levels. Something about the dialogue, peppered with slang, didn't quiet ring true for this reviewer; it could be the subject of the conversations isn't always believable (boys having one-on-one conversations about the objects of their affection), and the use of black dialect is sometimes distracting to the story.

Above all, it is disconcerting that a seasoned author who makes a major mistake of first time writers won a major children's book award for The Battle of Jericho. "Show not tell" is the first rule of good writing, and throughout the entire novel, Draper tells the reader how the characters are feeling and directs the reader how to take their comments by using language such as "Josh hooted" and "Arielle laughed." She also modifies the "saids" with adverbs ("Rudy added ominously") instead of conveying the thoughts and feelings of the characters through their actions and words. Hopefully, the next book by this dynamite storyteller will have a better editor.

Average customer rating:

Don't waste your time
don't read this book if you're a glbt teenager
Tra la la la la......
Fascinating
It doesn't deserve an award, but it makes you think...

Desire Lines
Jack Gantos
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

School | Issues | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0374417032
Release Date: 2006-03-21

Book Description

When sixteen-year-old Walker gets caught up in a witch-hunt against homosexuals, he is left to stand by and watch as a tragedy unfolds.

Customer Reviews:

Don't waste your time.......2006-07-01

This book not only is poorly written, but it also is not a good story. I understand the need to exploit how hatred can ruin something good, like the relationshipo between the two girls, however this is beyond morose and shows no hope for the future. I would highly recommend for GLBTQ teenagers NOT to read this book. This is not a book that you pick up, hate the ending, but understand why it had to be. The way it played out was indescribably bad.

don't read this book if you're a glbt teenager.......2004-04-13

it paints an unnecessarily grim picture of what it's like to be gay or lesbian. It reads like something out of the 50s--The Children's Hour or something. Nasty. And as other reviewers said, not even well-written.

Tra la la la la.............2003-11-05

Shove this into your kitchen pantry (a pantry is a little spot in the kitchen where you store dry food that doesn't need to be refrigerated. the food in my pantry is simply delicious, especially these cute little candy snowmen. Oh, it's such a shame you have to eat them because they're so adorable! but they taste so good!... er just in case you didn't know) but anyway... the people in this book are mean! Oh and all the protagonist talks about in the first chapter are lines. I know that the book is called "Desire Lines" but still! Oh, but the writing is terrific! =p Hee hee hee!!!!!

Fascinating.......1998-10-23

Besides being thought provoking this book is exceptionally well written. I agree with everything Booklist said. It's a gut wrenching story about a basically likable kid making the wrong choices. Bravo to Mr. Gantos for finally writing a story about a realistic teen who struggles with his conscience and doesn't do the right thing.

It doesn't deserve an award, but it makes you think..........1998-10-17

Let's be honest-- Desire Lines is not a well-written book. But with that same honesty, let's admit that the book is absolutely awe-inspiring in the feeling it leaves you with. Living in the midwest, I walked through my house after finishing it, numb; I brought it to school as passed it around among my firends who have the same concerms I do. I recomended it to every English teacher I could talk to. I want to make it a requirement for joining the GSA I head... This book is important because it makes you think about the way things can get out of control; it makes you think of a phrase I assume originated from an Amnesty tee shirt: 'The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for enough good people to do nothing...;' it makes me paraphrase Kim Gordon and say you take a look at all the hate, it makes you feel very up-to-date...

Average customer rating:

Death of a Peer

Manufacturer: Impress
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000F23XP2

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books