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The Cruisers (2010)

by Walter Dean Myers(Favorite Author)

2.99 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

1441863281 (ISBN13: 9781441863287)

languge

English

genre

Middle Grade & Children's

publisher

Brilliance Audio

series

Cruisers

review 1: My book of choice for my review is The Cruisers by Walter Dean Myers. Zander, LaShonda, Bobbi, and Kambui are group of friends who attend DaVinci Academy for the Gifted and Talented. It’s one of the best schools of in Harlem. The four of them each have a talent for writing and creative expression, but they have failing grades. Mr.Culpepper, the assistant principal, has had enough of them and he’s ready kick them out. Zander, the main character in the book, lives with his single mother while his father is lives in Seattle. Zander’s dad lives with his wife. During one part of the book Zander tells his mom that he doesn't want to be around his dad or his dad’s wife. When the school starts a unit on the Civil War Mr.Culpepper splits students on either the Union side or... more the Confederate side. Each side had to sympathize on why side is better. Zander and his friends had been assigned to keep the peace between the two sides. That’s when Zander and his crew came up with the idea to launch a different school newspaper called “The Cruisers”. In the end it is everything that they had hoped for.
review 2: The idea is great, and I really like how he is trying to show how racial consciousness can bloom in gifted minority students, but it can't be used with students on a systemic level because of all of the references to violence and the degree of racism portrayed, as well as some drugs. How does one portray racism in a way that will brook discussion for middle grades? This is a stab at the answer, and I really appreciate that effort. less

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