Official Review: Before Becoming A Man by Jess Quinn
Posted: 19 Apr 2020, 19:10
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Before Becoming A Man" by Jess Quinn.]
Before Becoming A Man, by Jess Quinn, is a young adult novel about one boy’s journey to manhood. Ryan, a pre-teen, isn’t like most kids his age; he likes to get to school early to read about Native American history, and he is useless when it comes to any type of sport. Unfortunately, Ryan’s oddities do not go unnoticed by his peers. Ryan has caught the eye of multiple bullies. A family vacation brings Ryan to a Native American reservation where he ends up getting much more than the fact-filled vacation he had hoped for. Suddenly, Ryan finds himself a part of a tribe. He is now called Little Hawk, and he is about to embark on his Seasons Away, a test of strength all boys of the tribe must endure. Although Little Hawk revels in learning the skills he will need to survive his Seasons Away, he is also plagued by bullies in this new life. Will Little Hawk gain the knowledge and skills he needs to live on his own in the wilderness? Or will his bullies get the best of him?
This novel is a coming-of-age tale with relatable themes for preteens. Ryan is an amenable character that faces a lot of the same struggles as everyday kids: he has a hard time fitting in at school, he doesn’t see his father as much as he’d like, and he spends too much time planning creative ways to avoid his bullies. Although these themes were adequately portrayed for the intended audience, the book does not attempt to challenge its readers. The exploration of bullying and “fitting in” lacked depth, and both topics were resolved tidily in the end, which makes this book hard to recommend to older pre-teen readers.
The author adequately writes at the middle-grade level, including accessible language and some vocabulary that may challenge the intended readership. Further, Quinn writes an engaging narrative by ensuring an appropriate level of detail is provided about the many nuances of the skills Little Hawk learns while preparing for his Seasons Away. Readers will find themselves enjoying a novel while barely noticing they are receiving a fine-tuned history lesson about various aspects of Native American culture.
The only downside to the exciting storyline is the initial pacing. In the beginning, Ryan’s story is fairly mundane; it isn’t until about one-third of the way through the narrative that the story really takes off. Since the target audience is so young, the slow initial movement may be off-putting to some readers. Moreover, there were a few noticeable errors in the text that proved distracting.
Before Becoming A Man is a novel I’d quickly recommend to middle-grade readers. The author includes relevant themes and intriguing history that will appeal to young readers with an interest in adventure and historical stories. Although this book could be enjoyed by all, middle-grade boys will most easily relate to Ryan’s daily struggles and yearning for adventure. However, the slow pacing at the start of the novel and the grammatical errors lead me to rate Quinn’s novel 3 out of 4 stars.
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Before Becoming A Man
View: on Bookshelves
Before Becoming A Man, by Jess Quinn, is a young adult novel about one boy’s journey to manhood. Ryan, a pre-teen, isn’t like most kids his age; he likes to get to school early to read about Native American history, and he is useless when it comes to any type of sport. Unfortunately, Ryan’s oddities do not go unnoticed by his peers. Ryan has caught the eye of multiple bullies. A family vacation brings Ryan to a Native American reservation where he ends up getting much more than the fact-filled vacation he had hoped for. Suddenly, Ryan finds himself a part of a tribe. He is now called Little Hawk, and he is about to embark on his Seasons Away, a test of strength all boys of the tribe must endure. Although Little Hawk revels in learning the skills he will need to survive his Seasons Away, he is also plagued by bullies in this new life. Will Little Hawk gain the knowledge and skills he needs to live on his own in the wilderness? Or will his bullies get the best of him?
This novel is a coming-of-age tale with relatable themes for preteens. Ryan is an amenable character that faces a lot of the same struggles as everyday kids: he has a hard time fitting in at school, he doesn’t see his father as much as he’d like, and he spends too much time planning creative ways to avoid his bullies. Although these themes were adequately portrayed for the intended audience, the book does not attempt to challenge its readers. The exploration of bullying and “fitting in” lacked depth, and both topics were resolved tidily in the end, which makes this book hard to recommend to older pre-teen readers.
The author adequately writes at the middle-grade level, including accessible language and some vocabulary that may challenge the intended readership. Further, Quinn writes an engaging narrative by ensuring an appropriate level of detail is provided about the many nuances of the skills Little Hawk learns while preparing for his Seasons Away. Readers will find themselves enjoying a novel while barely noticing they are receiving a fine-tuned history lesson about various aspects of Native American culture.
The only downside to the exciting storyline is the initial pacing. In the beginning, Ryan’s story is fairly mundane; it isn’t until about one-third of the way through the narrative that the story really takes off. Since the target audience is so young, the slow initial movement may be off-putting to some readers. Moreover, there were a few noticeable errors in the text that proved distracting.
Before Becoming A Man is a novel I’d quickly recommend to middle-grade readers. The author includes relevant themes and intriguing history that will appeal to young readers with an interest in adventure and historical stories. Although this book could be enjoyed by all, middle-grade boys will most easily relate to Ryan’s daily struggles and yearning for adventure. However, the slow pacing at the start of the novel and the grammatical errors lead me to rate Quinn’s novel 3 out of 4 stars.
******
Before Becoming A Man
View: on Bookshelves
Sounds like an interesting read. I'd have to find out more about how Ryan was able to rise above all those struggles. Did he fit in or stand out?. Will certainly add this to my shelve. Great review.
