From School Library Journal
Gr 8 Up—An Arab American teen, Kamran has always considered himself fully American—a high school star football player who dates one of the most popular girls and a homecoming king contender. He plans to attend West Point for college, like his army officer brother, Darius. All of this changes when authorities identify his brother as a deserter and terrorist, responsible for the bombing of the U.S. embassy in Turkey and the deaths of 53 people. Life takes on nightmarish proportions when Kamran is first ostracized by his friends and classmates and then taken into custody and held as a prisoner by the U.S. government. Despite days of questioning and watching videos of Darius, the teen refuses to acknowledge that his brother is a terrorist. As he pays closer attention to the videos, he realizes that his brother is trying to give him information about terrorist plans by using scenarios from games the two used to play and the Code of Honor they signed when they were children. With help from surprising sources, Kamran escapes and heads out to find his sibling. Exciting, at times ripped from the headlines, and scary, this cinematic work has layers of intrigue and danger in each scene. The well-developed protagonist reacts in typical teen fashion, with anger, doubt, rage, and faith in his brother. This action-packed novel will appeal to a variety of readers and will raise questions about patriotism, loyalty, and trust. VERDICT A winner for independent reading and deeper discussion with its timely topic, strong writing, and appealing characters.—Janet Hilbun, University of North Texas
Review
Praise for Code of Honor:"Readers will be swept up by both the intrigue and the rapid pacing... Kamran is a smart and sympathetic narrator, and readers will be happy to spend time with him in this action-packed thriller." -- Kirkus Reviews"Exciting, at times ripped from the headlines, and scary, this cinematic work has layers of intrigue and danger in each scene... will appeal to a variety of readers and will raise questions about patriotism, loyalty, and trust... A winner." -- School Library Journal"Vivid characters and timely topics, such as posttraumatic stress disorder, contribute to making Code of Honor a first-rate novel." -- VOYAPraise for Prisoner B-3087:A Junior Library Guild SelectionGolden Sower Award, 2014-2015 Winner NebraskaIsinglass Teen Read Award, 2014-2015 Winner New HampshirePennsylvania Young Readers' Choice Award, 2014-2015 Winner PennsylvaniaJunior Book Award, 2015-2016 Winner South CarolinaGrand Canyon Reader Award, 2015-2016 Winner ArizonaTruman Readers Award, 2015-2016 Winner MissouriReaders Choice Awards, Winner 2015-2016 Virginia Volunteer State Book Award Winner, 2015-2016 Tennessee"A powerful story, well told." -- School Library Journal"A bone-chilling tale not to be ignored." -- Kirkus Reviews"[A] remarkable survival story." -- Booklist"Gratz ably conveys . . . fatalism, yearning, and determination in the face of the unimaginable." -- Publishers Weekly"Heartbreaking, gripping, raw, and emotional . . . storytelling at its finest." -- VOYA
About the Author
ALAN GRATZ is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of several highly acclaimed books for young readers, including Two Degrees, Ground Zero, Allies, Grenade,Refugee, Projekt 1065, Prisoner B-3087, Code of Honor, and Captain America: The Ghost Army, an original graphic novel. Alan lives in North Carolina with his wife and daughter. Look for him online at alangratz.com.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
From CODE OF HONORThunder. No -- footsteps. Feet pounding down the hall. Someone was coming for me. Half-remembered childhood nightmares seized me, and I scrambled backward across the bed in a panic, trying to get away from Voldemort, the Joker, the aliens, the demons. I fell on the floor with a thump, the bed covers coming with me. My legs were tangled in them. I couldn't kick free. And then they were there. Dark shapes surged into my room, black on black silhouettes with hulking shoulders and big round eyes that flashed. My fear made me five again. I curled up against the side of the bed like I was playing Hide and Seek with my older brother, Darius, hoping he wouldn't see me. But the demons knew where I was. They homed in on me like guided missiles. Rough hands grabbed me. Hauled me to my feet. Threw me face first on the bed. Somewhere, remotely, I heard my mother scream, heard my father cry out. The demons had come for them too. "Mom! Dad!" I cried. I kicked and squirmed, trying to get away, but my arms were wrenched behind me and bound with a plastic zip-ties that cut into my wrists. The hands pulled me up again, and I read the words on one of my captors' uniforms:POLICEHOMELAND SECURITY Reality finally overrode my half-awake nightmares. "No. No! Darius is innocent!" I cried. "He's not a terrorist! You don't understand! They're making him do everything!" The DHS agents wrangled a thick bag over my head, and the already dark room went completely black. "No! Please! Don't!" I yelled. The black bag was close. Suffocating. My hot breath was damp on my face, and I started to panic. "You can't do this! I was born in America! I'm am American citizen!" The DHS agents ignored my protests. I kicked and thrashed as they dragged me from my room, down the hall, and out through the front door. A few days ago, all I had cared about was winning the Homecoming game. Getting into college. Going on a date with Julia Gary. Normal high school senior stuff. A few days ago, I had been king of the world. Now I was a prisoner of the United States of America.
