The Battle of Jericho

Draper, S. (2004). The battle of jericho . (p. 337). New York: Simon Pulse.

The Battle of Jericho is about a black high school student, Jericho, who is invited to pledge an elite club. Jericho wants to impress a girl that he likes and he believes the Warriors will give him more status. Jericho, his cousin Josh, and friend Kofi, are all thrilled when they are asked to join the Warriors of Distinction. Although the Warriors do a lot of service in the community, some things are kept secretive that the town overlooks. When pledging starts, Jericho starts to realize that some of the things the Warriors have him do during hazing, he is not ok with. Jericho is asked to steal and instead of saying anything, he goes along with it. By the end of the book, the hazing goes too far and someone ends up seriously injured. 

This book is easy for middle schoolers to relate to because of the want to fit in. Jericho and his two friends are willing to do just about anything to join the Warriors of Distinction. Bullying has been a serious issue in schools and this shows students that not saying anything when you know something is wrong can lead to serious consequences. This book could be an option to read in a literature circle because students can discuss the things that Jericho goes through and relate it to their own lives.