Book Title: Harlem Summer
Author Name: Walter Dean Myers
Reviewed by TFK Kid Reporter: Emily Atlas
Genre: Historical Fiction
Number of pages: 158
What's the basic storyline?
Mark Purvis, the main character, is a teenager living in Harlem in the summer of 1925, during Prohibition. He works for an African-American magazine, The Crisis, in which Langston Hughes's poems, along with others, are published. Even though Mark is trying his best to stay out of trouble, it is hard when Fats Waller is lurking around. Fats Waller is a phenomenal pianist, and Mark, an aspiring musician who plays the saxophone, wants to impress him. Fats, however, is doing some shady jobs that involve infamous gangsters and bootlegged liquor. This story follows Mark through a transforming "Harlem Summer."
Were the characters believable? What made them believable or unbelievable?
While reading this book, I felt like I was in the story. The characters, especially Mark, are believable, because they have many different dimensions to their personalities. For example, Mark doesn't want be involved with big-time gangsters, but then again, he has the chance to get paid well, and he can hang around Fats. Also, Walter Dean Myers uses a lot of historical facts in this book. Famous people and places are incorporated, such as Connie's Inn (a popular nightclub), Cullen Countee (a poet and scholar), Langston Hughes ( a poet), Fats Waller (a musician) and W.E.B. DuBois (a writer). Included at the end is a guide to all the real people and places mentioned in the book.
Would you recommend this book to kids? Why or why not?
This book teaches many lessons, but it is written in a manner that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Although it deals with serious matters, it is lighthearted and fun to read. It will introduce kids to many of Harlem's famous writers, and show what a kid's reaction to Prohibition could have been. Some of the encounters with gangsters are realistic and scary. Nonetheless, this book is perfect for kids over 10 years old.
What's not-so-great about the book?
The end of the book is more confusing than the rest, but other than that, my only complaint is that I wanted to keep reading when the book was done!
On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being best), how would you rate this book? Explain.
I would give this book a 10 out of 10 because it is well written and it introduces readers to some fascinating figures in our country's history.
