Miles Morales is just your average student, working hard in school, crushing on a girl in his class, and trying to get his parents to understand him. Except Miles isn't average. He's also Spider-Man. But lately, his spidey sense hasn't been working correctly. Is the radioactive spider venom slowly wearing off? Is it because he never should have been Spider-Man if both his uncle and his dad have a criminal past? Or, is it because his history teacher is a racist, pro-slavery advocate who targets Black teens in the classroom? Miles has a lot to juggle -- can he and his web shooters handle it all?

This is a really interesting book. It isn't an origin story per se as Miles is already Spider-Man at the start of it. We see a lot of familiar faces (such as Ganke, Rio, and Jeff) from other media where Miles appears, but this seems to be its own take and not a continuation of any other particular Miles Morales/Spider-Man story. There are new characters in the various teachers and classmates at Miles's school, including Alicia, the poetry-loving girl that he likes.

While I've had several titles by Jason Reynolds on my to-be-read list for a while, this is the first one I've actually picked up. He is an author that lives up to the hype. His prose here is lyrical with so many beautiful turns of phrases. But he's also colloquial, especially in the dialogue, which makes this book accessible -- particularly for teens who are reluctant readers and/or don't want to read something that feels like schoolwork.

The book is a lot about building the setting so we *feel* Miles's neighborhood and developing characters for interpersonal drama. However, it certainly has plot points that are compelling and build tension as the story progresses. These come to a head in a big fight scene that will appeal to readers who enjoy that part of the stereotypical superhero story.

The book addresses issues of systematic racism, including the school-to-prison pipeline, as an overarching theme. The only thing that I didn't like about this book was how the warden's backstory/powers weren't fully explained. I also would have liked it if Miles could have exposed that villainy in a bigger way for more than just Ganke to see. That being said, I know there is a sequel to this book so it's possible Reynolds left things wrapped up enough but with room to keep exploring this universe he created.

For the audiobook version, Guy Lockhard knocked it out of the park. He was so animated and brought the story to life with the appropriate emotions for each scene. He also had an array of distinct voices for each character. I highly recommend checking out the audiobook! ( )

Includes discussion questions. Not a comic book or easy book.

I came into this book expecting an exciting Spider-Man filled adventure, but I got way more Miles Morales high school student with extra human abilities instead.

I expected so much more from this book, which makes me feel kinda sour. The writing is incredible, Miles Morales is a fun narrator and the cover is WOW. But this was way more just a Miles Morales story than a Spider-Man story. I expected (and wanted) Lots of action, Spidey bad guys and thrilling fight scenes. There were a bit, but not enough to make this feel like a Spider-Man book at all.

Jason Reynolds is a crazy good writer and made Miles feel like the boy next store. I enjoyed the shenanigans and the story itself. I highly recommend Jason Reynolds as a writer!

Unfortunately, there just wasn't enough plot to keep me interested. Part of me wonders if it's because I'm an adult reading a book that's for a middle grade or YA reader, but at the same time I should still get some fun out of it. It's just unfortunate.

Two out of five stars. ( )

I am not at all a fan of Spider-Man, but I enjoyed Ghost, and hearing Jason Reynolds speak this past spring. So I grabbed up this arc when it arrived at the store. I am so glad I decided to read it. Reynolds has written a Spider-Man I can like. ( )

This is a whole new take on a Spider Man story. At times it got so surreal with all the spooky dream sequences that I found it a little hard to follow, but the characters were strong enough to carry the story. Reynolds does a great job at portraying teenage boys as real, complex people instead of stereotypes, and he doesn't shy away from talking about the racism that people of all ages deal with every day. ( )