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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
(3.5) I’m torn. On the one hand, Gratz is obviously trying to communicate to young readers how prevalent and awful prejudice in America is. On the other, he writes these Iranian-American brothers as so fiercely proud to be American that it seems to come at the expense of relinquishing their Iranian half (at least for the majority of the book). Nevertheless, Code of Honor is an action-packed read with a solid message of loyalty, faith, and duty. And let me tell you, my 8th-graders have really enjoyed it.
3.5 stars
Code of Honor by Alan Gratz is about a boy named Kamran Smith, one of the most popular boys at school. However, his whole life is turned upside down when he finds out from the news that his brother is a terrorist. This book was action-packed and touched on critical themes of Islamophobia, prejudice, and family. The historical elements of this book were also wonderful, and I can see it being super insightful for today's children who grew up post-9/11. That being said, parts of the book were wildly unrealistic and predictable which took away from my enjoyment. However, I think any middle school reader would really enjoy this book!
Code of Honor by Alan Gratz is about a boy named Kamran Smith, one of the most popular boys at school. However, his whole life is turned upside down when he finds out from the news that his brother is a terrorist. This book was action-packed and touched on critical themes of Islamophobia, prejudice, and family. The historical elements of this book were also wonderful, and I can see it being super insightful for today's children who grew up post-9/11. That being said, parts of the book were wildly unrealistic and predictable which took away from my enjoyment. However, I think any middle school reader would really enjoy this book!
***I received this book as a Firstreads giveaway through Goodreads***
What a timely and thought provoking read! Kamran Smith has always wanted to be like his old brother, Darius. As children, the two created a code of honor that would define their lives and adhere to their goals of joining the United States Military: "Be the strongest of the strong. Be the bravest of the brave. Help the helpless. Always tell the truth. Be loyal. Never give up. And kill all monsters." Now a senior in HS, Kamran is on his way to following his brother's footsteps to West Point. A member of the football team, recently crowned homecoming king to his girlfriend Julia's queen, Kamran has it made.
Until his brother is seen taking full responsibility for an al-Qaeda attack on the US Embassy in Turkey. Kamran and his parents are in shock; this is not the son they raised. "They feared me---hated me---just because my skin is brown." Kamran's family was not religious and attended no church, Christian or Muslim. "But nobody cared about facts. They'd already decided I was Muslim, and that I was going to turn on America, just like my brother had."
As more videos come out, it appears that Darius became a devout Muslim in the years following 9/11 and joined the military to pass secrets to al-Qeada. Kamran isn't convinced that Darius believes in the things he is saying; maybe he has been kidnapped and brainwashed. Some of the things Darius says harkens back to the childhood games they used to play. Is Darius trying to communicate with Kamran? While being detained by Homeland Security, Kamran tries to clear his brother's name. Only one person seems to agree with Kamran that Darius may be innocent: CIA agent Mickey Hagen.
Code of Honor is full of twists and turns. While reading, I could imagine the character's voices and actions---this would make a great movie. As a 25 year old, Darius I were the same age when September 11th happened. The references may date the novel, but I think it is an important addition to the dialogue of terrorism and Islamophobia in America.
My main complaint with the book is that the chapter lengths felt too short and choppy. This made it a great bathroom read, which is why it took me nearly 3 weeks to finish it, though I must say the book was hard to put down at times. However, I felt that some chapters could have been combined rather than having 92 chapters averaging about 2-3 pages each.
Overall, 4 out of 5 stars! I loved Alan Gratz' book Prisoner B-3087. Definitely want to read more of his works!
What a timely and thought provoking read! Kamran Smith has always wanted to be like his old brother, Darius. As children, the two created a code of honor that would define their lives and adhere to their goals of joining the United States Military: "Be the strongest of the strong. Be the bravest of the brave. Help the helpless. Always tell the truth. Be loyal. Never give up. And kill all monsters." Now a senior in HS, Kamran is on his way to following his brother's footsteps to West Point. A member of the football team, recently crowned homecoming king to his girlfriend Julia's queen, Kamran has it made.
Until his brother is seen taking full responsibility for an al-Qaeda attack on the US Embassy in Turkey. Kamran and his parents are in shock; this is not the son they raised. "They feared me---hated me---just because my skin is brown." Kamran's family was not religious and attended no church, Christian or Muslim. "But nobody cared about facts. They'd already decided I was Muslim, and that I was going to turn on America, just like my brother had."
As more videos come out, it appears that Darius became a devout Muslim in the years following 9/11 and joined the military to pass secrets to al-Qeada. Kamran isn't convinced that Darius believes in the things he is saying; maybe he has been kidnapped and brainwashed. Some of the things Darius says harkens back to the childhood games they used to play. Is Darius trying to communicate with Kamran? While being detained by Homeland Security, Kamran tries to clear his brother's name. Only one person seems to agree with Kamran that Darius may be innocent: CIA agent Mickey Hagen.
Code of Honor is full of twists and turns. While reading, I could imagine the character's voices and actions---this would make a great movie. As a 25 year old, Darius I were the same age when September 11th happened. The references may date the novel, but I think it is an important addition to the dialogue of terrorism and Islamophobia in America.
My main complaint with the book is that the chapter lengths felt too short and choppy. This made it a great bathroom read, which is why it took me nearly 3 weeks to finish it, though I must say the book was hard to put down at times. However, I felt that some chapters could have been combined rather than having 92 chapters averaging about 2-3 pages each.
Overall, 4 out of 5 stars! I loved Alan Gratz' book Prisoner B-3087. Definitely want to read more of his works!
This book is...a lot.
If I had to rate it from a student’s perspective, I’d probably give it a 12/5. It’s action packed, hits on big themes of brotherhood and loyalty, strong role models, and even has a football player at the helm. I will heartily recommend this to students.
However, as an adult, I can’t help but wonder how much is plausible. I’d be curious to see the research Gratz did for this one, since it’s so much more modern than many of his other topics.
If I had to rate it from a student’s perspective, I’d probably give it a 12/5. It’s action packed, hits on big themes of brotherhood and loyalty, strong role models, and even has a football player at the helm. I will heartily recommend this to students.
However, as an adult, I can’t help but wonder how much is plausible. I’d be curious to see the research Gratz did for this one, since it’s so much more modern than many of his other topics.
Definitely way more Hollywood than any other of Gratz's novels and this was action-packed (even if over the top in parts). I was really impressed with the twists and turns and how the author managed to keep the very believable tension between brothers running throughout the entire novel.
Grades 6 and up. I'm moving this one to our YA section due to the fact that the main character is a senior in high school. There is a LOT of killing and violence.
Grades 6 and up. I'm moving this one to our YA section due to the fact that the main character is a senior in high school. There is a LOT of killing and violence.
Once again, this author takes on difficult topics and make them very relatable. All kids should read his books But I do think that they are great for boys who are looking To be readers.
The twists and turns of the novel kept me thinking "just one more chapter." This is clearly why my students love Alan Gratz!
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I started reading it with my son and he read the rest himself before I could catch up!
slow-paced