The Battle of Jericho

Sixteen-year-old Jericho is awaiting initiation to the Warriors of Distinction, the oldest and most exclusive club in school--but how high a price will he have to pay to belong? Find out in this first novel in Sharon M. Draper's Jericho Trilogy.

When Jericho is invited to pledge for the Warriors of Distinction, he thinks his life can't get any better. As the most exclusive club in school, the Warriors give the best parties, go out with the hottest girls, and great grades are a given. When Arielle, one of the finest girls in his class, starts coming on to him once the pledge announcements are made, Jericho is determined to do anything to become a member...

But as the initiation week becomes progressively harrowing, Jericho is forced to make choices he's not entirely comfortable with. And one member seems to have it in for the sole female pledge in the group...a pledge who will stop at nothing to show she can handle the pressure. But when is she being pushed too far, and when should Jericho and his friends step in and risk losing their places in the pledging process? As Jericho becomes increasingly uneasy, his cousin Joshua breezes through the initiation, never thinking of the consequences, even when the fine line between fun and games, and life and death is crossed.

Author: Sharon M. Draper
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Published: 06/01/2003
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.83lbs
Size: 8.68h x 5.78w x 1.08d
ISBN: 9780689842320
Audience: Young Adult

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 4.7
Point Value: 10
Interest Level: Upper Grade
Quiz #/Name: 69273 / Battle of Jericho


Award: Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award - Nominee
Award: Grand Canyon Reader Award - Nominee
Award: South Carolina Childrens, Junior and Young Adult Book Award - Nominee
Award: Coretta Scott King Award - Honor Book
Award: Tayshas Reading - Commended
Award: Young Hoosier Book Award - Nominee


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Review - Children 06/01/2003 pg. 802
Publishers Weekly 06/09/2003 pg. 53
School Library Journal 06/01/2003 pg. 137
Booklist 06/01/2003 pg. 1761
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 07/01/2003 pg. 444
Voice of Youth Advocates 08/01/2003 pg. 222
Black Issues Book Review 09/01/2003 pg. 70
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2003 pg. 108 - Recommended, Satisfactory
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2004 pg. 108 - Recommended, Satisfactory

About the Author
Sharon M. Draper is a three-time New York Times bestselling author and a recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award honoring her significant and lasting contribution to writing for teens. She has received the Coretta Scott King Award for both Copper Sun and Forged by Fire, and was awarded the Charlotte Huck Award for Stella by Starlight. Her novel Out of My Mind has won multiple awards and was a New York Times bestseller for over three years, and Blended has also been a New York Times bestseller. She lives in Florida, where she taught high school English for twenty-five years and was named National Teacher of the Year. Visit her at SharonDraper.com.