Terry's Crew
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
Actor/author/athlete Terry Crews digs into his childhood in Flint, Michigan, to tell a story of fitting in and finding your place in his showstopping debut middle-grade graphic novel, the start of a series.
“Terry's Crew is a true delight from beginning to end. It's sure to provide a much-needed mirror and sliding glass door for countless kids.” —Angie Thomas, author of The Hate U Give
“A delightful, powerful, readable retelling of Terry Crews's adolescence. Readers young and old will be captivated.”
—Sharon M. Draper, author of Out of My Mind
"A must read for all those kids who allow themselves to dream in a variety of big ways. Bravo!" —Pablo Cartaya, author of The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora
Young Terry Crews has a Big Dream Plan: He wants to become a MULTIHYPHENATE. That means he wants to be an artist. And a football player. And a musician. And maybe a NASA scientist, too! OK, maybe it’s ambitious, but his parents worked hard so he could go to a new school—Rock City Academy, a prestigious institution (read: rich kids go there) where he’s sure he can make his mark at the talent show. He plans an elaborate performance with his new friends, Rani, a passionate engineer, and Xander, a shy kid with a head like an encyclopedia.
Along the way, Terry’s plan is threatened by his grades, which slip below Mom-and-Dad-approved levels, as well as the schemes of the school’s football star, Rick, who won’t stop until Terry quits the talent show altogether. No matter what challenges he faces, though, Terry knows that he always has his crew to back him up.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Entertainer and debut creator Crews and illustrator Thomas (Epic Athletes: Alex Morgan) craft an upbeat graphic novel that draws inspiration from Crews's childhood, as detailed in an author's note. Terry, portrayed with brown skin and an infectious grin, is the newest freshman at Rock City Academy, an elite, predominantly white private school. He believes that the new school is his ticket to realizing his big plans: he wants to become a multihyphenate by excelling in science, art, and sports. But his guidance counselor Mr. Montgomery disregards Terry's myriad passions, and by way of reductive racial stereotypes, tries persuading him to focus on sports ("This isn't the world someone like you belongs in," the counselor says about art; "lots of kids like you in the NFL"). Discouraged, Terry withdraws and starts hanging out with a popular athlete who encourages bullying, and he struggles to keep his dreams alive while navigating high school social politics. Using simple but effective facial expressions and gentle swathes of color, Thomas compassionately depicts Terry's trials and triumphs. Through the protagonist's refusal to dream smaller, Crews tells a familiar and affecting story of one kid's determination to find his place in the world. Ages 8–12.
