Scorpions, 25th Anniversary Edition by Walter Dean Myers

Scorpions, a Newbery Honor Book by National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Walter Dean Myers, is celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary! When it was first published in 1988, Scorpions amazed readers. This special 25th anniversary edition contains the original Scorpions story, plus an extra Q&A with New York Times bestselling author Walter Dean Myers. When it was first published in 1988, Scorpions blew readers away. And as long as he's got Tito on his side, Jamal knows everything will be okay. Jamal doesn't want anything to do with gang life, but he doesn't have a choice-it's the only way to get money for Randy's appeal. But Crazy Mack wants Jamal to take over as the Scorpions' leader and run crack.

The only person he can count on now is his best friend, Tito. Even his mama yells at him, upset because Jamal's brother, Randy, is in jail. The kids at school are bugging him, his teachers won't leave him alone, and the principal's always giving him a hard time.

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.Īlso 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.Now with extra material to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Scorpions! Everyone is getting on Jamal's case. Scorpions is 25 years old, but the issues of poverty and violence make it a timeless powerful read-sadly as relevant as ever. Walter Dean Myers, five-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Award, sensitively explores the loyalty and love between friends faced with hard choices.

Jamal eventually pulls free of the gang's bad influence, but only through the narrowest of escapes. 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. 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. Pushed by a bully to fight and nagged by his principal, Jamal is having a difficult time staying in school. 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. 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.

Scorpions, 25th Anniversary Edition by Walter Dean Myers