Scorpions

By: Walter Dean Myers

Narrated by: Peter Francis James

Length: 5 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

Lately everybody's messing with Jamal. His teachers, the kids at school, even his dad. And now that Jamal's brother Randy's in the slam, Crazy Mack has a crazy idea. He wants Jamal to take control of the Scorpions and run crack.

All the gang jive - Jamal has no use for it. Unless, like some say, it's the only way to cop the bread for Randy's appeal.

The story of 12-year-old Jamal, whose life changes drastically when he acquires a gun. Though he survives the experience, it's not without sacrificing his innocence and possibly his relationship with his best friend.

©1998 Walter Dean Myers (P)1999 Recorded Books LLC

20 chapters done I. two days totally recommend

loved it haven't finished a good book in two days ever. telling all my friends to get audible

Great Story but the Audio does match the book.

What did you love best about Scorpions?

It's a great coming of age story

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

The narration in chapter 15 and 16 doesn't match the book version. It skips from chapter 15 to 16 and then back to 15.

story telling bad

I love the book its so great but the voice over on here sometimes adds a word or two than what the text says. it bugs me a little but i think its fine. overall really good story and i also recomend another book called The outsiders if you haven't read it yet!

I liked it 👍🏽

his different voices were nice and he put body into the story. The story itself was very relatable and made me kind of emotional at the end so i liked it a lot.

Excellent Story - Narration very slow.

What made the experience of listening to Scorpions the most enjoyable?

Great storyline especially if you are from New York City.

What did you like best about this story?

It gave a good view of what the characters were like and what the main character was going through without being too "over the top" with the graphics and language. There was just enough action to keep young people interested in the story.

Which character – as performed by Peter Francis James – was your favorite?

The Narrator performed all of the characters well. I just wish he could have increased his pace when reading. It seemed very slow and dragged out.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes. I didn't expect anyone to actually die in the story!

Too Slow!

Would you try another book from Walter Dean Myers and/or Peter Francis James?

Walter Dean Myers is a wonderful writer. His use of dialogue to propel the story forward is great. Peter Francis James, however, is not compelling, nor does he capture the listener's attention. He reads the book so slowly that you're just waiting for the next line.

What other book might you compare Scorpions to and why?

Scorpions is similar in genre to The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton in that it's about a boy who finds himself in a situation for which he is not prepared.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Again, the pacing was slow and the intonation was monotonous. I was using the recording with my 8th grade English class and we ended up reading it as a play to liven it up. We only listened to about half of the book.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Maybe; the story is a bit dated.

Checks off all the stereotypes?

I purchased this novel for my students to listen to as they followed along with a physical copy of the book. The terms and stereotypes that the author uses are a bit dated, HOWEVER, the story is still excellent. My students were engaged, always asked to listen to one more chapter and we're eager to discuss their thoughts and what might happen next. For teens, the themes of the novel are still relevant: loyalty, friendship, family, and making difficult choices while growing up poor. An excellent novel to use in the classroom. The reader is excellent.