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    The Cruisers
    The Cruisers
    The Cruisers
    Audiobook2 hours

    The Cruisers

    Written by Walter Dean Myers

    Narrated by Kevin R. Free

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    School is hard enough, but when you're misfits on a mission, you're really put to the test. The re-launch of a popular middle-grade series by Walter Dean Myers.

    Zander and his crew are underdogs at DaVinci Academy, one of the best Gifted and Talented schools in Harlem. But even these kids who are known as losers can win by speaking up. When they start their own school newspaper, stuff happens. Big stuff. Loud stuff. Stuff nobody expects. Mr. Culpepper, the Assistant Principal and Chief Executioner, is ready to be rid of Zander, Kambui, LaShonda, and Bobbi—until they prove that their writing packs enough power to keep the peace and show what it means to stand up for a cause.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateAug 1, 2010
    ISBN9781441863317
    The Cruisers
    Author

    Walter Dean Myers

    Walter Dean Myers was the New York Times bestselling author of Monster, the winner of the first Michael L. Printz Award; a former National Ambassador for Young People's Literature; and an inaugural NYC Literary Honoree. Myers received every single major award in the field of children's literature. He was the author of two Newbery Honor Books and six Coretta Scott King Awardees. He was the recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults, a three-time National Book Award Finalist, as well as the first-ever recipient of the Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement.

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    Reviews for The Cruisers

    3.5/5

    37 ratings3 reviews

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    • 4/5
      This is not a masterpiece like Fallen Angels or Monster, but Myers's gifts as a master storyteller are evident in this first entry of a proposed four-book series.
    • 4/5
      At the Da Vinci Academy for the Gifted and Talented in Harlem, the 8th grade is going to study the Civil War in a very unusual way. The whole class has been divided into Union and Confederate sides, and they are itching to go to war. Zander, Bobbi, Kambui and LaShonda are the Cruisers, who believe that grades aren't everything and life ought to be enjoyed more... which gets them into trouble with the assistant principal after they publish an article in their alternative school paper. Their consequence is to become the negotiating team that brokers the peace between the Union and the Confederacy. Articles and editorials in the official school newspaper stir things up, and racism and prejudice create bad feelings all through the school. But it's just a class project, right? Anger leads to talk of violence, and the Cruisers need to find the way out that doesn't get people beat up. Told from multiple points of view, with the newspaper articles and editorials included, this is an exceptional story that gives readers a lot to think about: the First Amendment, racism and prejudice, family issues, and standing up for your beliefs. A knockout for 7th grade and up, especially appropriate for 8th grade with their studies of the Civil War and prejudice.
    • 3/5
      Zander Scott and his friends, Kambui, LaShonda and Bobbi are students at the DaVinci Academy for the Gifted and Talented in Harlem. Unfortunately, their grades are slipping and Mr. Culpepper, the assistant principal, is just waiting for the opportunity to kick them out of the school. Part of the problem is their alternative newspaper, The Cruiser, which allows them to present their own unique point of view to the rest of the students. They are given one last chance to stay. The school has begun a study of the Civil War. Instead of just learning dry facts and dates, the school has divided the students into the various factions who were present at the time of the War...confederates, slaves, plantation owners, etc. Zander and his fellow Cruisers are presented with the task of bringing the factions together peacefully and preventing the Civil War altogether. As the students get into the project, the students representing the confederacy begin acting out their roles a little too realistically, causing much friction among the blacks and other minorties, resulting in fights and ill will among all of the students. Zander and the Cruisers have their hands full trying to avoid a second Civil War...right inDaVinci Academy. Walter Dean Myers is a prolific writer and knowledgable voice for African-American teens. He has tackled tough issues facing teens and presented those issues in a realistic way. "The Cruisers" takes on the issue of racism today, by illustrating how those same issues caused the Civil War. Myers' voice is casual and humorous, making his work very readable. This particular book, however, is a little "preachy" at times. It feels like the author is trying to teach a lesson rather than present the situation through realistic dialogue. Other than that, the book is a fast, enjoyable read, providing lots of food for thought and discussion and leaves the reader wanting to see more of the Cruisers.