Miles Morales: Spider-Man | by Jason Reynolds

Miles Morales by Jason Reynolds

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Miles Morales is Spider-Man. He is a superhero wielding incredible power and strength, wrapped up in the guise of a not so heroic 16-year-old teen who is simply trying to manage the intricacies of homework, a school crush, and trying to stay out of the hair of the peskiest of teachers at his school. He is a down to earth kid from Brooklyn with a family who loves him and keeps him grounded, a best friend (Ganke) who is like a brother, and a well-deserved scholarship he earned to attend the prestigious Brooklyn Visions Academy. But life ain’t all roses. An unfortunate, deadly accident is at the core of a family secret that truly is best kept buried…for now.

Now, of course, there would be no need for a superhero unless there were, in fact, a villain; one who works in sinister ways toward the destruction of a community in trouble. Bent towards keeping those who would become great, oppressed, downcast, and hopeless. The war for Spider-Man is very real. A battle that rages on in both the natural and unseen realm by which the ultimate prize (for the enemy) is their demise. What a burden to bear. When it all comes down to it though, is it solely the job of the friendly, neighborhood Spider-Man to save the community? Or do its members use their power, their gifts, their voice, to fight as well?

As a fan of Marvel, I was very excited for this book! That excitement increased especially as the cover was revealed, illustrated by the awe-inspiring, Kadir Nelson, whose work is in every way brilliant! Jason Reynolds brought Brian Michael Bendis’ Spider-Man (Miles Morales) to life superbly, making him every bit mysterious and relatable. As much as I love Miles, I adore his best friend Ganke just the same. He is the kind of friend we’d all hope for; having Miles’ back at the toughest of times, making him laugh, and keeping him encouraged to fight the good fight.

I truly enjoyed reading Miles Morales and hope that there will be a 2nd and 3rd book in the works (can we get a trilogy, Jason?). There is more I would like to know about the mysterious Spider-Man.

Check out the interview that the School Library Journal (SLJ) published this summer (July, 2017), “Jason Reynolds on Miles Morales, Spider-Man, and His Secret Super Power.”

Miles Morales

Jason Reynolds

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