The Cruisers by Walter Dean Myers YP FIC MYERS

Zander Scott and his friends Bobbi, Kambui, and LaShonda call themselves the Cruisers because that exactly what they expect to do, cruise through the DaVinci Academy for the Gifted and Talented in Harlem with a solid C and little to no effort, but their underachieving ways have finally caught up with them. Now the assistant principal has tasked them with stopping a new civil war! The high school has been split into the Union and Confederate sides as a way to teach about the civil war and if the Cruisers can’t get the sides to come to a truce they are going to be booted out. But when real life racial tensions make the assignment all too real and the Cruisers may have to actually TRY.

Walter Dean Myer is an all time great writers of young adult lit. He writes such real and raw books that pull no punches, so I was surprised he was writing a book aimed more at middle schoolers than teens, but he pulls it off very well. the book is smart, fast paced, and all the characters feel real. Myers is always great at looking at the really tough issues like racism, war, and class, but without ever getting boring or preachy. One of the really tricky question of the book is, what would have happened to America without the Civil War? A great read for people that want a new series about the middle school set but with a cool urban flair.

Hatter M: Volume 2: Mad with Wonder by Frank Beddor with Liz Cavalier Illustrated by Sami Makkonen YP FIC BEDDOR

You think you know the story of Alice and her adventures in Wonderland? Well you have no idea. Alyss is really the Princess of wonderland but her aunt has taken over and her mother’s bodyguard the deadly Hater M took her to our world. Now they are separated and Hatter must travel the world and try to find her before it is too late. In this volume Hatter goes to the circus, fights in the midst of the Civil War, and ends up in a madhouse all in his quest for Alyss.

The Hatter M series is a unique graphic novel series. The art has a distinctly European influence and everything has a grimy and faded look that goes well with the themes of madness and obsession that define the Hatter character. This is a dark and gritty adventure series with a good amount of wit and a cool main character. If you like knives then Hatter is your man. If you have read Beddor’s The Looking Glass Wars you will enjoy this new look at Hatter’s journey. If you haven’t then these books are a good introduction to Beddor’s characters. To read volume one of Hatter M or The Looking Glass Wars novels grab them from J FIC BEDDOR.

Riot by Walter Dean Myers

Riot is a historical fiction novel by Walter Dean Myers, who is a prolific young adult writer. Historical fiction are stories set during real life past events, but the characters have been made up my the author. In this case, Myers' story takes place in New York City in July 1863. The Civil War still wages on and the Battle of Gettysburg has recently taken place. The real life event Myers focuses on is a riot that took place in New York City on July 11, 1863. This event would later be known at the New York City Draft Riots of 1863.

During the war there was an escalation of tension, especially after a draft was federally instituted. All male citizens between ages 20-35, as well as unmarried men ages 35-45 could be enlisted into the army by way of a lottery draw. Men who could afford to pay $300 could buy there way out of the draft, which alienated lower class immigrants, including the Irish. Black men were also not required to serve in the military because they did not have citizen status. Riots broke out in New York City after the July lottery. Frustrated by their forced participation in the Civil War, many of the rioters were Irish Americans. Stores and buildings were looted and set afire. Many black Americans, whom the Irish blamed, were attacked and in some cases murdered.

Myers' story focused on Clair, a 15-yr-old daughter of an Irish mother and black father. Claire is torn between the conflict because of her mix background and is forced to address race issues and her own identity.

Riot addresses race, bigotry, and social class. Myers delivers this story as a screenplay, as he did with Monster, which may appear and read oddly to the traditional book reader. However, this style does move the story along quickly and gives the reader an idea of just how tense people were due to their frustration, exhaustion, and emotional turmoil evoked during the Civil War. Myers allows young adults to better understand the reasons that brought on the riots through his unique way of storytelling.

The Young Adult collection at Moore Memorial Public Library contains several books written by Walter Dean Myers, including Sunrise over Fallujah, Monster, and Street Love.