Justin A. Reynolds

Estranged friends are given a chance to patch up their differences before one of them dies—again.

Seventeen-year-old Jamal Anderson has not had a meaningful conversation with his former best friend, Quincy Barrantes, in almost two years. They were almost inseparable: always at each other’s homes, even developing a comedy show on social media together. But two years ago, Jamal lost his parents, and he blames Quincy for the accident. His grief over their deaths permeates every relationship as well as his ability to focus in school. Despite his sister’s efforts and the love of his girlfriend, Autumn, he is drifting until the night Quincy dies trying to save someone’s life. When a mysterious man offers Quincy’s mother a chance to bring him back through experimental technology, it seems far-fetched. But Mrs. Barrantes and Jamal now have the opportunity for a few more weeks with Quincy. Like everything else in Jamal’s life, this circumstance offers more questions than answers and forces him to confront why he allowed the breach in their relationship to continue. This is a page-turning narrative with a cast of fully realized characters and realistic dialogue. The skillful use of flashbacks and social media content fully engages readers. Despite the seriousness of the story, humor and moments of pathos will elicit empathy and connection. Jamal and Autumn are cued as Black and Quincy as Latinx.

This thoroughly satisfying novel of love, loss, and reconciliation is not to be missed. (Fiction. 14-18)

-Kirkus Review… (plus d'informations)

Miles Morales is a normal kid who struggles to balance his schoolwork and family obligations. When a hurricane devastates Puerto Rico, birthplace of his mother, Miles decides to raise money for rebuilding with a fundraiser. On top of all of this, he also just happens to swing through the streets of Brooklyn as Spider-Man nabbing criminals.
When a pair of criminals with surprising superpowers of their own elude Miles, he is left with a mysterious glowing blue rock, which his new classmate Kyle recognizes because her dad, an employee of Serval Industries, has one as well. But now her dad is missing, and Kyle will stop at nothing to find him—and Miles realizes that the glowing blue rock has something to do with the recent earthquakes in Puerto Rico. Miles is pulled in many directions but has a supportive community, including his parents, his roommate Ganke, Ms. Marvel, Squirrel Girl, and the other Spider-Man, Peter Parker.
… (plus d'informations)

Representation: Biracial main character
Trigger warnings: N/A?
Score: Seven points out of ten.
This review can also be found on The StoryGraph.

I enjoyed this first book in a new comic series, and I can't wait for more instalments. I wonder if there's a relation to Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse, which I haven't watched, but it looks good. The main character, Miles, had shortcomings and struggles, but he overcame them, and he had some strengths as well, which I liked. The main complication was the natural disaster in Puerto Rico, and I enjoyed seeing him try to cope with the situation and balance his regular and superhero life. The villain was a little bit on the mysterious side, and I forgot what her name was since I didn't know that much about her, but more information could be revealed in the next book in the series. If you like stories about realistic superheroes, this is for you.

Update: I have read the second book in the series. It was okay. There might be a third book. I have also watched the sequel to Into the Spiderverse called Across the Spiderverse. That was only okay.… (plus d'informations)