''Scorpions'', first published on June 20, 1988 by

Harper & Row Harper is an American publishing house, the flagship imprint of global publisher HarperCollins based in New York City. History J. & J. Harper (1817–1833) James Harper and his brother John, printers by training, started their book publishin ...

, is a

young adult novel Young adult fiction (YA) is a category of fiction written for readers from 12 to 18 years of age. While the genre is primarily targeted at adolescents, approximately half of YA readers are adults. The subject matter and genres of YA correlate ...

written by

Walter Dean Myers Walter Dean Myers (born Walter Milton Myers; August 12, 1937 – July 1, 2014) was an American writer of children's books best known for young adult literature. He was born in Martinsburg, West Virginia, but was raised in Harlem. A tough childho ...

. It was a

Newbery Medal The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contr ...

Honor Book in 1989. The book was republished by HarperCollins on October 6, 2009 and by Amistad on April 23, 2013.

Plot

Jamal is trying to get his brother, Randy, out of jail. Randy is a 17-year-old who is the leader of the Scorpions, a local gang of drug dealers in New York City. Jamal's family includes himself, Randy, his mother, his 8-year-old sister whose name is Sassy, and his father, Jeovon Hicks. Jamal's father became an

alcoholic Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomin ...

after losing his job and began abusing Jamal's mother. She moves away with the children. Now Jamal's father comes to visit the family "once in a while". When the story begins Jamal only needs $500 to appeal his conviction. His mother is working to the bone in order to earn enough money to get the appeal for Randy. His mother soon finds out that his brother has been attacked and stabbed while in jail and is in medical care. Some members of the Scorpions want Jamal to join them until Randy is freed from jail so that there will be direct communication between the gang and Randy. Other members want to vote on a new leader because they feel Randy is dead to them and that letting a 12-year-old join a gang would not be beneficial. Randy wants to earn money the right way by working but is scared to go against the Scorpions. Eventually, randy breaks free from the bad influence and does the right thing.

Characters

* Jamal Hicks: The main character. His brother is in jail and was the leader of a gang called the Scorpions. He becomes the leader after his brother is convicted. * Randy Hicks: Jamal's brother. He was the leader of the Scorpions until he got convicted of murdering someone. * Sassy Hicks: Jamal's sister. She always tells Mama everything she sees Jamal doing wrong. * Mama Hicks: Jamal's mother. She is suspicious of Jamal because she thinks he is in the Scorpions. * Tito: Jamal's best friend. Always helping Jamal. * Abuela: Tito's grandmother * Dwayne: Jamal's main enemy. He is always starting problems with Jamal in school. * Mack: A member of the Scorpions. He protects Jamal from any harm done to him by other Scorpions. * Indian: Another member of the Scorpions. He jumps Jamal along with his warlord, Angel. * Angel: Indian's warlord.

Reception

''Scorpions'' received the following accolades: *

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...

's (ALA) Notable Children's Books of 1988 (1988) * ALA's

Best Books for Young Adults The American Library Association's Best Fiction for Young Adults, previously known as Best Books for Young Adults (1966–2010), is a recommendation list of books presented yearly by the YALSA division (Young Adult Library Services Association Th ...

(1988) * Library of Congress's Children's Books (1988) * ALA's Recommended Books for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (1989) *

Nominee (1989) * New York Public Library's Books for the Teen Age (1989) * Judy Lopez Memorial Award for Children's Literature Nominee (1989) * ALA's The USA Through Children's Books (1990) * IRA's Young Adult Choices (1990) *

Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award The Vermont Golden Dome Book Award (formerly the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award) annually recognizes one new American children's book selected by the vote of Vermont schoolchildren. It was inaugurated in 1957. The award is co-spon ...

Nominee (1990) *

Margaret A. Edwards Award The Margaret A. Edwards Award is an American Library Association (ALA) literary award that annually recognizes an author and "a specific body of his or her work, for significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature". It is named after ...

(1994)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scorpions 1988 American novels 1988 children's books African-American young adult novels Novels set in Manhattan Harlem in fiction Harper & Row books Newbery Honor-winning works Novels by Walter Dean Myers