I received this ARC from Publisher, Audiobook from publisher for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Amazon-Indiebound Goodreads
"Everyone gets mad at hustlers, especially if you're on the victim side of the hustle. And Miles knew hustling was in his veins."
Miles Morales is just your average teenager. Dinner every Sunday with his parents, chilling out playing old-school video games with his best friend, Ganke, crushing on brainy, beautiful poet Alicia. He's even got a scholarship spot at the prestigious Brooklyn Visions Academy. Oh yeah, and he's Spider Man.
But lately, Miles's spidey-sense has been on the fritz. When a misunderstanding leads to his suspension from school, Miles begins to question his abilities. After all, his dad and uncle were Brooklyn jack-boys with criminal records. Maybe kids like Miles aren't meant to be superheroes. Maybe Miles should take his dad's advice and focus on saving himself.
As Miles tries to get his school life back on track, he can't shake the vivid nightmares that continue to haunt him. Nor can he avoid the relentless buzz of his spidey-sense every day in history class, amidst his teacher's lectures on the historical "benefits" of slavery and the importance of the modern-day prison system. But after his scholarship is threatened, Miles uncovers a chilling plot, one that puts his friends, his neighborhood, and himself at risk.
It's time for Miles to suit up.
My Thoughts:
It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of Jason Reynolds. That’s basically the only reason I picked this one up. I have nothing against Spider-Man, but I’ve never been that into super hero anything. Honestly, I had never even heard of Miles Morales! I’m so glad Jason wrote this book, which made me want to read it.
I started this one on audiobook. The narration and pacing are great and I was really enjoying it. However, per usual, I got too impatient! I wanted to know how it all went down right now so I picked up the book and finished it that way. Still, if you like audiobooks, this one is great.
Reynolds always writes such authentic and engaging characters. Their lives may be completely different than mine (especially in the case of someone with super powers!) but I can still relate and empathize because the things they’re going through are universal. I quickly fall into his books and become invested in the lives of the characters. Man. I just love his writing so much!!!
It was really interesting to see how Reynolds took the Miles Morales Spider-Man story and made it his own. As I said, I knew nothing about Miles Morales before reading this one. My Spider-Man knowledge is limited to the few movies I’ve seen. But in reading this one it was very much a Spider-Man story while still being very much a Jason Reynolds book. Basically, perfection.
What I really, really loved was that Miles is very much a teenaged boy. The things he does and says reflect that. He has these powers he didn’t ask for and doesn’t really know what to do with. He just trying to figure it all out. I know my students can relate to him because this book is flying off my library shelves and the students are requesting more!
Basically, whether you’re into super heroes or not, Miles Morales: Spider-Man by Jason Reynolds is worth your time!
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