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Somewhere In The Darkness (Paperback)
by Walter Dean Myers
| Category:
Award-winning books, Fiction, Family love, Ages 9-12, Children's books |
| Market price: ¥ 88.00
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¥ 78.00
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Pre-order item, lead time 3-7 weeks upon payment [ COD term does not apply to pre-order items ] |
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 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
A touching story shows the love between a father and a son at all costs. While things can't always be fixed, sometimes they can be understood and forgiven. |
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Author: Walter Dean Myers
Publisher: Scholastic
Pub. in: October, 2003
ISBN: 0439523567
Pages: 176
Measurements: 7.6 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
Origin of product: USA
Order code: BC00156
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- Awards & Credential -
One of ALA book list
One of the ALA book for young adults
One of the ALA notable book for children
a winner of the Coretta Scott King Award
a winner of Newbery honor |
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- MSL Picks -
This book is about a boy named Jimmy Little. His mom died and his father was in jail so he lived with his mom's friend. Jimmy called her Mama Jean. One day Jimmy's father comes to their house looking for Jimmy whose name was Crab. Crab was telling Jimmy and Mama Jean how he got out of jail and got a job in Chicago. He also said that he wanted to take Jimmy with him. Mama Jean and Jimmy were very upset about this, Jimmy didn't want to go and neither did Mama Jean. Mama Jean decided it was best for Jimmy if he went with Crab. So they went on a long car ride from New York to Chicago, but Jimmy soon found out that they were not going to Chicago. It turned out that Crab escaped from jail when he was sick in the hospital with a kidney disease and that they were really going to Arkansas to straighten something out. Crab was in jail because he was accused of murder, he did not kill any body and it was his friend Rydell. The police went to Rydell’s house to arrest him but he told the police that it was Crab. While Crab was black, the police believed Rydell because he was white. When they got to Arkansas Jimmy got really close to Crab and they were both having a good time. They went to Rydell's house to persuade Rydell to tell the police the truth but he refused. Crab was really upset that he got him in trouble and left. That night Crab died from his kidney disease. Jimmy was very upset and he went to live with Mama Jean again.
This story takes place during the past and half takes place in Chicago and the other half takes place in Arkansas. The setting is important because their trip begins in the middle of the story and most of the book is about their trip. The first half of the book is just about Jimmy's life like what he likes to do, where he lives, and about the problems he has. The second half of the book is about when his father (crab) fins him and they are suppose to go to Chicago, but it doesn't turn out that way.
The author Walter Dean Myers has written many other books including Monster and Scorpions which are winners of the Coretta Scott King Award. Scorpions won the Newbery honor award and Monster won the national book awards. Some Where in the Darkness has won the ALA book list, the ALA book for young adults, the ALA notable book for children, the Coretta Scott King Award, and Newbery honor. It's a fantastic fiction book published in 1992.
Target readers:
Kids aged 9-12
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Walter Dean Myers is a writer of children's and young adult literature. Walter Dean Myers was born in West Virginia in 1937 but spent most of his childhood and young adult life in Harlem. He was raised by foster parents and remembers a happy but tumultuous life while going through his own teen years. Suffering with a speech impediment, he cultivated a habit of writing poetry and short stories and acquired an early love of reading.
In 1954 he quit high school and joined the army. He later held many positions with various agencies including the New York State Department of Labor, the post office, a rehabilitation center and a transformer company. All during this time, Mr. Myers was writing for various magazines and periodicals. The turning point in his career came when he won a contest run by the Council on Interracial Books for Children with his book Where Does a Day Go? in 1969. Since then he has supported himself, his second wife, and four children with his very prolific writing in the area of children's and young adult literature. He volunteers at schools in Jersey City where is presently lives. He received his degree from Empire State College in 1984.
Myers explains his feeling for the young adult novel, "The special place of the young adult novel should be in its ability to address the needs of the reader to understand his or her relationships with the world, with each other, and with adults. The young adult novel often allows the reader to directly identify with a protagonist of similar interests and development." He is a compassionate, introspective person who believes, "It is this language of values which I hope to bring to my books...I want to bring values to those who have not been valued, and I want to etch those values in terms of the ideal. Young people need ideals which identify them, and their lives, as central... guideposts which tell them what they can be, should be, and indeed are."
Following his success with young adult literature, Meyer has branched out to include topics of nonfiction including black history with his recent Now Is Your Time! and The Righteous Revenge of Artemis Bonner an 1880's historical setting. Both have been received with much acclaim.
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Jimmy hasn't seen his father in nine years. But one day he comes back - on the run from the law. Together, the two of them travel across the country - where Jimmy's dad will find the man who can exonerate him of the crime for which he was convicted. Along the way, Jimmy discovers a lot about his father and himself - and that while things can't always be fixed, sometimes they can be understood and forgiven.
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School Library Journal, USA
<2006-12-19 00:00>
A poignant story of motherless, 14-year-old Jimmy Little, whose convict father takes him on a search for truth, identity, and family. Whisked away from the stability of a homelife with his devoted grandmother, Mama Jean, Jimmy confronts the harsh realities of his father's life on the run. Jailed for his involvement in an armed robbery and falsely accused of killing a man, Crab escapes from prison to convince his son of his innocence. What Jimmy discovers is a man desperate to establish a relationship with his son but unable to break free of a lifestyle of stealing and moving on that leaves little room for security. On their highway odyssey, Crab becomes increasingly sick with a kidney ailment. Following a climactic encounter with the man who accused him, Crab is again arrested and hospitalized. For Jimmy, the flicker of hope that he and his father might work things out becomes a realization that love is built on trust, concern, and honesty. Through terse dialogue and characterization, Myers conveys a powerful message about the need for parent and child to believe in and respect one another. By story's end, the boy understands that to fully appreciate someone else's life you must first give meaning to your own. Whether from urban or rural backgrounds, single or double parent families, readers will find this universal journey of self-discovery gratifying. |
San Diego, CA USA
<2006-12-19 00:00>
Did you ever wonder what it would be like to be able to communicate with your father? Jimmy is having trouble with communicating with his father. So I would recommend Somewhere in the Darkness by: Walter Dean Myers, to a friend to read if they're having this problem. This book is good for both fathers and sons. Everything is wrong for him. When quiet, sneaky, 14 years old Jimmy finally meets his father, trouble starts. He has to leave his grandmother, who he lived with for years. Whenever he tries to think about his dad, bad stuffs comes to his mind. He tries his best to accept his father for who he is. His father could never replace his loving grandmother. Jimmy's life took a great turn around when his father just showed up. He can't live with his grandmother anymore. He's in custody with by his father. When he finds out that his father broke out of prison, he freaks out. He realizes that he's somewhere in the darkness with a stranger. Jimmy and his father went off to a trip halfway across the country to visit his dad's old haunts. "You mean you escaped from jail?" Jimmy is freaking out because he just found out that his father broke out of prison. He finds out that the cops are after them and they'll be caught in no time. He feels uncomfortable setting next to a stranger, who's also a fugitive. The cops are also after him. How would you feel if the cops were after you for something you didn't do? After reading Somewhere in the Darkness, I learned that no matter what your father does he will be your father. You might not see your father for nine years but you're still related to him. To me this message means you should try to feel comfortable your father. To the society this message means if you don't feel comfortable around someone it would be best for you to not be around that person. You think your father is not a good father and he doesn't love you? You just want to wait until you read this book. And then you might want to think twice about your feels for your father. |
A reader, USA
<2006-12-19 00:00>
This book is one that I recommend above all; in fact this is the only book I have taken time to write a review about. One this book is very compelling; it kept me interested at all times. The way Jimmy and his father ran but becoming closer along the way was incredible. The book had a lot of humor, but also a lot of meaning. The ending is incredible because of the fact of the emotion you get from it, from everything leading up to it. I can't relate to this book, because nothing like this has ever happened to me. I did though put myself in Jimmy's shoes, and in doing so got real meaning from the book. It kept my interest and it will be yours too. |
Umair Saleheen, USA
<2006-12-19 00:00>
The book Somewhere in the Darkness, by Walter Dean Myers, was truly an interesting piece, far from anything I have read before. A holder of the Newberry Honor Award, a prestigious award, writing this book was a creative task, one that he has fulfilled. Mr. Dean truly does continue showing the world his gift. In my opinions I would rater this book a 5 from a scale from one-five, five being the best. I really liked that it was about a father, son relationship, something that I can relate to. The author used a lot of great diction, which created the base of a great vision. The chronological order, and the way events happened in the book, created and set a great suspense. As it did in this on part of the book "who you?' 'I am your father'", if you read the book, and understand it, and even try to relate to it in some way, you can feel the emotion that Jimmy, might have been feeling, and see the shock in his eyes, perhaps. You can just picture, what's going on, and feel what it would be like to be in his place, a chill might run all over your body. If you like books that deal with real life relationships, or problems, or if you have read the Scorpion, you will like this book too. |
View all 6 comments |
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