About this item
Highlights
- The Scorpions are a gun-toting Harlem gang, and Jamal Hicks is about to become tragically involved with them in this authentic tale of the sacrifice of innocence and the struggle to steer clear of violence.This Newbery Honor Book will challenge young men to consider their own decisions as they come of age in a complex and often frustrating society.Pushed by a bully to fight and nagged by his principal, Jamal is having a difficult time staying in school.
- Newbery Medal (Children's) 1989 3rd Winner
- 240 Pages
- Young Adult Fiction, Social Themes
Description
About the Book
In this tragic and utterly authentic 1989 Newbery Honor Book about two friends in contemporary Harlem, "Myers has captured the street milieu well, and the characters and the events ring all too true. . . . A dishearteningly effective tale of poverty and inverted values."--"Booklist." ALA Notable Children's Book.Book Synopsis
The Scorpions are a gun-toting Harlem gang, and Jamal Hicks is about to become tragically involved with them in this authentic tale of the sacrifice of innocence and the struggle to steer clear of violence.
This Newbery Honor Book will challenge young men to consider their own decisions as they come of age in a complex and often frustrating society.
Pushed by a bully to fight and nagged by his principal, Jamal is having a difficult time staying in school. His home life is not much better, with his mother working her fingers to the bone to try to earn the money for an appeal for Jamal's jailed older brother, Randy.
Jamal wants to do the right thing and help earn the money to free his brother by working, but he's afraid to go against the Scorpions. Jamal eventually pulls free of the gang's bad influence, but only through the narrowest of escapes.
Walter Dean Myers, five-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Award, sensitively explores the loyalty and love between friends faced with hard choices. Scorpions is 25 years old, but the issues of poverty and violence make it a timeless powerful read--sadly as relevant as ever.
This special twenty-fifth anniversary edition contains the original Scorpions novel, plus an extra Q&A with New York Times bestselling author Walter Dean Myers--including questions about juvenile detention facilities, gang life today, and friendship.
Also included are a sneak peek at Kick, by Walter Dean Myers and Ross Workman, and an excerpt from Myers's New York Times bestselling novel Monster.
From the Back Cover
Bad Trouble
Lately everybody's messing with Jamal. His teachers, the kids at school, even his dad. And now that Jamal's brother Randy's in the slam, Crazy Mack has a crazy idea. He wants Jamal to take control of the Scorpions and run crack.
All the gang jive--Jamal has no use for it. Unless, like some say, it's the only way to cop the bread for Randy's appeal...
The story of twelve-year-old Jamal, whose life changes drastically when he acquires a gun. Though he survives the experience, it's not without sacrificing his innocence and possibly his relationship with his best friend.
Review Quotes
"Once more, readers have Myers to thank for giving them a greater understanding of the difficulty of life in today's inner city." --" SLJ.""A book honored for its honesty, realism, and vitality."-- "1989 Newbery Award Committee."