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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
There are some great lines in D&T. I thought it was great except that the ending seemed a bit rushed.
This book felt "real" in a way. The character is working to not be put in a box, not be labeled. At the same time though, he felt labeled (but that could simply be because I do not have the same experiences.) I will definitely be adding this to my book talk list so students have different characters and maybe they can connect with this one.
Darius wants to leave Harlem to go to college. The only way that will happen is if he can get his short story published and earn a scholarship. He knows if he stays, he will become a statistic. This book made me think and since it is short if doesn't take much commitment. With that said, something is missing.
This book for me was kind of unresolved in a way. It jumped around a lot and I didn't think that it really gave enough details for me to be content with it. Like the way it ended. Like Midnight got shot, they found him and saved him, and then the next page was the epilogue and how Twig got his scholarship for running and Darius got it for writing and Midnight was in a wheelchair. And that was it. For me it was like a badly written biography. It wasn't a bad book it was just, in my opinion, unfinished.
Good, but in some ways it felt like it just stopped before the story was finished.
It's difficult to read a book like Darius and Twig. I find it hard because I want to hope that things get better for the characters, but knowing it's realistic fiction and that life isn't always like a Disney ending makes it tough. Darius is writing a story in the book and is trying to decide if it is hopeful or a story of despair. That was the tension in this book too. Darius has his writing and imagination and Twig has his running and his smile, but are these things enough to balance out against the negatives hammering away at them?
This was another great story from Meyers. Not a big fan of the epilogue, but overall enjoyed this one.
This was another great story from Meyers. Not a big fan of the epilogue, but overall enjoyed this one.
"That's one thing we learn to be good at, be quiet when we are hurt."
I wanted to like this book so much more than I did. I've had this book on my radar for so long, that I wouldn't be surprised if I heard about it when it came out and I just never got around to it until now. I'm a fan of Walter Dean Myers and the immense influence he's had on the YA world. I liked the characters of Darius and Twig, but this story didn't really hit me in the way other YA stories have. Darius is a writer, trying to figure out how to write the perfect story so he can win a scholarship and Twig is a runner, trying to win the races and get his name out there. Both of these characters are likable enough and I found myself rooting for them both, but I just didn't have my heart in it. I think there are other books that cover similar topics and themes that are better written (think [a:Nic Stone|13525503|Nic Stone|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1473479285p2/13525503.jpg], [a:Angie Thomas|15049422|Angie Thomas|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1471998209p2/15049422.jpg], [a:Kwame Alexander|326609|Kwame Alexander|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1602295507p2/326609.jpg], or [a:Jason Reynolds|1229281|Jason Reynolds|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1600904956p2/1229281.jpg]) and will appeal more to young people. I think readers of Myers have to have a certain type of writing or message they're looking for. These are books for every reader.
This book is recommended for upper middle school and high school readers due to some mature content.
TW: shootings, gang violence, bullying, poverty
I wanted to like this book so much more than I did. I've had this book on my radar for so long, that I wouldn't be surprised if I heard about it when it came out and I just never got around to it until now. I'm a fan of Walter Dean Myers and the immense influence he's had on the YA world. I liked the characters of Darius and Twig, but this story didn't really hit me in the way other YA stories have. Darius is a writer, trying to figure out how to write the perfect story so he can win a scholarship and Twig is a runner, trying to win the races and get his name out there. Both of these characters are likable enough and I found myself rooting for them both, but I just didn't have my heart in it. I think there are other books that cover similar topics and themes that are better written (think [a:Nic Stone|13525503|Nic Stone|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1473479285p2/13525503.jpg], [a:Angie Thomas|15049422|Angie Thomas|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1471998209p2/15049422.jpg], [a:Kwame Alexander|326609|Kwame Alexander|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1602295507p2/326609.jpg], or [a:Jason Reynolds|1229281|Jason Reynolds|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1600904956p2/1229281.jpg]) and will appeal more to young people. I think readers of Myers have to have a certain type of writing or message they're looking for. These are books for every reader.
This book is recommended for upper middle school and high school readers due to some mature content.
TW: shootings, gang violence, bullying, poverty
The message was good, but it took me way too long to read this book because I lost interest a few times. It wasn't a bad story, but it wasn't one of my favorites. I'm not mad I read it, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to anyone else.
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Good read and fairly quick read. Not the depth I expected, but I think middle school kids and early high school would like this book.