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captainz's review against another edition
5.0
It's absolutely excellent. Great villain, very relevant. Guy Lockard is a top-notch voice actor, too, so if you get the chance you should listen to this one.
thomasr417's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
thehawk72's review against another edition
3.0
Was hoping that the Aaron storyline was going to go further. Was also disappointed at how little action there was, and honestly, kind of unbelievable that a racist teacher would go to a jail and plot to get a black kid arrested. Maybe there’s something others know about that I don’t, but.
ihateprozac's review against another edition
5.0
This was my first Jason Reynolds story and my first Miles Morales story, and it was an absolute win on both counts! This book was a load of fun, super rich, surprisingly complex, and was a joy to read from start to finish.
Spiderman in the MCU was always the one character I couldn’t give a shit about. Peter Parker was uninteresting with a basic AF back story and he had nothing to offer emotionally. Miles Morales is the complete opposite. He’s funny, he’s troubled, he’s relatable, and he’s compelling. And he’s not the only one - I found myself wanting to know more about his best friend, his family, his love interest, and even other kids at the school!
There’s just such a richness to Miles’s family, friends, and community. They don’t feel two dimensional or tropey, they feel like real people with real problems and wants and desires. I felt like I could leap right into the page and talk to these people. That’s not an easy thing to make me feel in fiction, let alone in middle grade! Every time I had to put this book down, I just couldn’t wait to pick it back up and catch Miles going home for Sunday dinner.
In addition to the characters, I also really enjoyed the villain and the plot. Without getting too spoilery, it serves as a powerful metaphor for racism and systemic oppression, and how white people (and particularly cis white dudes) continue to be oppressors and the gatekeepers of opportunity. That being said, I wish there’d been more build up to the conflict and that the final fight scene had been longer, to balance out how much time was spent on Miles’s school life.
I’ve got no clue if there are more Spiderman books planned by this author, but I’d pick up a sequel in a heartbeat! So much fun. :)
Representation: Puerto Rican MC, Korean American side character, multiple black minor characters
Spiderman in the MCU was always the one character I couldn’t give a shit about. Peter Parker was uninteresting with a basic AF back story and he had nothing to offer emotionally. Miles Morales is the complete opposite. He’s funny, he’s troubled, he’s relatable, and he’s compelling. And he’s not the only one - I found myself wanting to know more about his best friend, his family, his love interest, and even other kids at the school!
There’s just such a richness to Miles’s family, friends, and community. They don’t feel two dimensional or tropey, they feel like real people with real problems and wants and desires. I felt like I could leap right into the page and talk to these people. That’s not an easy thing to make me feel in fiction, let alone in middle grade! Every time I had to put this book down, I just couldn’t wait to pick it back up and catch Miles going home for Sunday dinner.
In addition to the characters, I also really enjoyed the villain and the plot. Without getting too spoilery, it serves as a powerful metaphor for racism and systemic oppression, and how white people (and particularly cis white dudes) continue to be oppressors and the gatekeepers of opportunity. That being said, I wish there’d been more build up to the conflict and that the final fight scene had been longer, to balance out how much time was spent on Miles’s school life.
I’ve got no clue if there are more Spiderman books planned by this author, but I’d pick up a sequel in a heartbeat! So much fun. :)
Representation: Puerto Rican MC, Korean American side character, multiple black minor characters
betwynnthelines's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
As an avid comic and Spider-Man fan, I think the more people who read this book, the better! What a fabulous story about Miles, telling a Spider-Man story that can only be told through Miles, and demonstrating the School-to-Prison pipeline. I imagine that, in the wake of his movies, this book is doing quite some work helping middle school students discuss the pressing, real-world problems this book brings up. Of course, if reading antiblack racism is difficult for you to read, do whatever you need to take care of yourself. While Reynolds can be a little on the nose with it at times, his other works as well as his experiences made it so he was able to tell the story he wanted to be told. It's a very purposeful book--but that doesn't mean it's all serious, all the time. It has very silly moments, and cute ones, too! I loved the humanity and love brought to Miles's parents, in exactly the same way I loved the internalized racism Miles struggles with throughout the book.
Of course, you will be disappointed if you go into this looking for action, or a Spider-Man centered story. Yes, this is a Spider-Man story, but there is a PERSON under that mask, and this story is about him. For those who want more Spider-Man adventures, I would recommend the comics. However, I'm glad that this book knows the story it wants to focus on, which is Miles's personal life and all the different facets of it. I've always been a sucker for the more "mundane" aspects of superheroics, and I believe there's no point in a superhero if the person they are under the mask is bland and featureless. It really makes sure you care about Miles, and that you care about the people Miles cares about, even when he struggles to. Reynolds plays to his strengths here, which is communicating the themes and topics he wants to explore through the eyes of a character. If he felt Spider-Man was more necessary to tell the story, I believe he would have. The villain of this story is not your typical supervillain with a bright suit and a gimmick; he represents the literal thematic antagonist of the book, and even then, he's not a flat, one-and-done villain. While the fight may be underwhelming to some, I believe it's more than made up for by what the fight accomplishes, which is bringing the theme around full-circle, ending on a hopeful note while acknowledging there is still more to be done, and that it isn't as simple as defeating a villain.
Of course, you will be disappointed if you go into this looking for action, or a Spider-Man centered story. Yes, this is a Spider-Man story, but there is a PERSON under that mask, and this story is about him. For those who want more Spider-Man adventures, I would recommend the comics. However, I'm glad that this book knows the story it wants to focus on, which is Miles's personal life and all the different facets of it. I've always been a sucker for the more "mundane" aspects of superheroics, and I believe there's no point in a superhero if the person they are under the mask is bland and featureless. It really makes sure you care about Miles, and that you care about the people Miles cares about, even when he struggles to. Reynolds plays to his strengths here, which is communicating the themes and topics he wants to explore through the eyes of a character. If he felt Spider-Man was more necessary to tell the story, I believe he would have. The villain of this story is not your typical supervillain with a bright suit and a gimmick; he represents the literal thematic antagonist of the book, and even then, he's not a flat, one-and-done villain. While the fight may be underwhelming to some, I believe it's more than made up for by what the fight accomplishes, which is bringing the theme around full-circle, ending on a hopeful note while acknowledging there is still more to be done, and that it isn't as simple as defeating a villain.
Also... I wish the characters introduced in this book, primarily Austin, get to be brought into the main 616 universe! I know it's a long shot, but... Austin!
PS... There's a sequel to this novel, called Miles Morales: Suspended. I HIGHLY recommend it. It's about censorship.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
librarydancer's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent, powerful book of the newest Spiderman, and how he handles life as a high schooler and a superhero.
Race and ethnicity are huge pieces of this book, and they transform the story in something more than a superhero story. The weakest part of the story for me was the villain, and I lost the thread during the final battle.
Race and ethnicity are huge pieces of this book, and they transform the story in something more than a superhero story. The weakest part of the story for me was the villain, and I lost the thread during the final battle.
kvanderbeek21's review against another edition
3.5
I liked it but it just felt incomplete to me. What happened to all those other men? Why white cats? Did I miss something? I just had more questions than I would have liked. I will definitely be recommending this to the freshmen boys in my classroom.