Bronx Masquerade (Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner)

Bronx Masquerade

The Bronx Masquerade is a very realistic book on the life of teenagers living in the "hood" which is a very poor community. The "hood" is a place of feeling uncomfortable, unsafe, and dirty surroundings. The Bronx Masquerade is a journal of the life's of different teens in a high school. Each one describes their life, their problems, and what they want in life. Their english teacher gives the students an assignment to do for homework and didn't expect the shock of what the students share. This assignment brings the students closer and helps their personal life. The Bronx Masquerade really effected me because I was in the same situation as these teens. I went to a junior high school which was located in the "hood" known as Lennox. Even though I didn't live in Lennox just going to school there was scary and difficult because of the surroundings. I felt part of the story and I can relate to one of the characters in the book. His name was Devon. Devon was so much like me which is why I can relate to him. The Bronx Masquerade effected me by reminding me of how you can overcome a situation like this one moving on to a better school and a better future. I really recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a great book to read.

The book the Bronx Masquerade takes place in the Bronx. The book is a compilation of young teenagers talking about their different experiences and views on life. To me the book is extremely insightful and real in the sense that all of the teenagers talking, talk about real things and real experiences that happen in the world amongst people such as themselves or teenagers that are in the same situaton as them. The group of students in the book come from the same english class in school but the students are all very different. The students teacher Mr. Ward is a very warm and kind man who is trying to have the students open up their minds to poerty. He tries to have the students write about whatever they like and read it infront of the class. Many of the teenagers in the book have negative outlooks on life. The students believe that because of a certain race you are you won't make it in the world. Through reading the biographies and poems that the students wrote you feel like you can relate to their experiences or maybe even understand where they are coming from. There is much worry and struggle coming from the students words and ideas. Throughout the book some characters are more memorable like Tyrone, but there is still a remembrance of all of the characters. Overall the book is interesting and great for teenagers to read amd relate to. Through the poetry and realistic views that the students try and portray the students show who they are and what they want to become.

If you think that a novel with 18 characters with no "main" character would be lame and insubstantial, think again. Bronx Masquerade, written by Nikki Grimes, is basically a compilation of numerous journal entries and introspective poetry, but there's more to it. It is a story about 18 individual high school students with different cultures and backgrounds living in the Bronx who gradually come together while participating in a class poetry slam. As you read the journal entries of these teenagers, you will notice that each student suffers from individual conflicts going on inside of them.

Nikki Grimes, the award-winning author of Jazmin's Notebook and My Man Blue, did an exceptional job of tackling all the issues which were mentioned in the novel, such as abusive relationships, self-consciousness, and high school maternity, but these problems were just tackled, not beaten to death over and over again with a hammer. I think that is actually a good thing because it captures the essence of adolescents. Teenagers usually don't analyze, calculate, or beat their personal issues to death because they already know that life is not perfect and that it can't be perfected like the over publicized hype of Disney and WB.

Additionally, I believe that she did a phenomenal job of making every single individual---well, individual. She did not make everybody totally different with absolutely nothing to relate to each other (e.g. one person is a drug addict living the "ghetto" lifestyle, while another is a rich, white, country homeboy who doesn`t know the word "bankrupt"), nor did she make every character similar (e.g. everybody is Black and poor). All of the characters were realistic, and they give you a sense that they were, in fact, real, or based on real people. I have got to believe that everybody who has read this book has something to relate to at least one of the characters because they are so probable.

I think Nikki Grimes wrote Bronx Masquerade for teenagers who have yet to discover themselves and where they exactly "fit" in society. In this cliquey world, your teenage years are the best time to find your path and to decide if you're going to be the person that society wants you to be, or you're going to be the person who you want to be. I think that Bronx Masquerade was cleverly titled, because at the beginning of the book , almost every student was busy with hiding who they truly were--- Devon, the Jock who likes to read, Diondra, the Tall Girl who is not a basketball player but an artist, Judianne, the seemingly self-confident Fashion Queen who is more self-conscious than you would think...everybody had their own problems. Although not all of the problems were solved in the end (e.g. Amy Moscowitz's issue of her father not loving her enough, and Diondra's conflict with her father who disapproves of her going to an art college), I think everybody learned to love who they already were without changing themselves AND learned not to judge a person superficially---based on their race, sex, or social advantage (or lack thereof). A great example is Tyrone. As he himself, and the whole class read their poems, he began to realize that "...nobody I see fits into the box I used to put them in. (Pg.86)" Of course, there are always two sides to a story. While Tyrone was being plummeted with one surprise after another (e.g. "Dough Boy" Steve can actually rap, both Devon and Raynard aren't as stupid as he used to think, etc.), Porscha is struck with awe when she finds out that Tyrone's poems are true and deep, and containing no trace of derogatory references to sex. Therefore, I believe there are two main themes for Bronx Masquerade because you can`t have one and not the other:

1)Don't be afraid to show the world who you are.

2)Don't judge a book by its cover.

The greatest aspect of the novel is that some characters' issues interlock with others' which again, give a sense of reality. In real life, seldom do people (especially adolescents) learn to be who they truly are without any outside force to guide them. In this particular story, it seemed as though everybody played a certain role and influenced at least one peer, usually for the better. For example, Devon influenced Porscha to write a letter of forgiveness to her mother, Raul influenced Diondra to be more "open" about her artistic talent, Wesley influenced Sheila by telling her that she can't change who she is, but she is free to hang out with whoever she likes, which guided her on the right path, etc.

Overall, Bronx Masquerade was quite an interesting read, for a book that we were forced to complete as an assignment. Usually, worksheets and note-taking vaporizes all the fun out of reading a good book, but Bronx Masquerade, even with all the extra homework which came with it, still maintained its flavor. Like I mentioned before, I thoroughly enjoyed this book because of its reality. It showed that there are multiple sides to a certain story, which often interlock with one another. If I were to compare this to a movie, it would be a combination of CRASH, which deals with racial/social issues, and The Breakfast Club, which is a more lighthearted film involving teenagers from different cliques who bond in Saturday detention. It is incredible how Nikki Grimes managed to tell such a complicated story of adolescence without using difficult words. I give 5 out of 5 stars for Bronx Masquerade.

I have read this book called Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes. Nikki Grimes is the winner of the Coretta Scott King award. This book was published in 2003. The Bronx Masquerade is about a tenth grade English class in the Bronx that deals with the same issues that teens now have to deal with. This book is based on a true story. The class would have Open Mike Fridays. Open Mike Fridays allowed the students share poems about their life and\or problems. On those days, Mr. Ward, the English teacher would tape record the students reading aloud the poems. Most of the poems were about racial discrimination, family issues, being abused, and the most common, size and weight.

One of the main characters in this book was a guy named Tyrone Bittings. Tyrone is a person who thinks he doesn't have a life in education and soon wants to become a rapper. He lives by the quote, "Live the day like there's no tomorrow". Another of the main characters was the English teacher, Mr. Ward. Mr. Ward is a very down to Earth type of teacher. He listens to what his students and says nice comments about them. He is also the person who started the whole Open Mike Fridays. Also another character in this book is Devon Hope. Devon is a jock from the outside but from the inside he is a bookworm. But he doesn't want his friends to find out that he likes to read.

I thought this book was a great book for many reasons. First, I thought this book kept me up and wanting to read whenever I had time. If you think there's no book out there that is interesting then you're wrong. Bronx Masquerade will change your perspective on the people you hate or the people you are close to. This book will keep you on your feet and in shock, poem after poem, person after person. This book gave me the goose bumps because I wouldn't know what was going to happen next. I hope you choose to read this book to read.

Truly a wonderful book. The characters are realistic without being cliche, the poetry is artistic and moving, and I love the premise of the story. As a high school student, I myself took a creative writing class every semester (even though it didn't count for credit after the second time), and I can't say enough about the importance of expressing yourself through writing. Especially during the rough time that is adolesence.
Jazmin's Notebook, also by Grimes, is great too.

February 2, 2004
Bronx Masquerade is wonderful blend of student journal entries and poetry. It will move you, as you read about the students' feelings as they grow to learn and understand themselves and then reach out and help each other. The students grow and begin to understand their differences as their English teacher has them read poetry out loud once a month on "Open Mike Fridays." In this book, Latinos, Latinas, African Americans, and Caucasian students share their feelings and break past their stereotyped opinions of each other and become friends. Even street hard Tyrone, who does not like school, reads his poetry and compliments all the other students' poetry as they share. Nikki Grimes does an incredible job of bringing about the issues and struggles many students go through each day, from troubles at home to problems with friends and relationships. This book was a joy to read; the poetry gave the students so much life and depth as you read about what they think and go through and then see how they express it in their poetry. I give this book a 4 star rating and recommend that you should read it.

The Brox Masquerade is a great book for growing poets. I wasn't into portey that much so it was hard for me to express my feeling. So when I picked up this book, I learned a new way to express myself. So if someone came and asked me was this a good book, I would say yes and when you are done, you will learn a new method if you don't already know it.

This book is about a class of high-schoolers learning about The Harlem Renaissance in Mr.Ward's English class. While learning about the The Harlem Renaissance, Mr.Ward assigns each student to write poems just like the artists and poets did during the Renaissance. Every Friday students participate in whats called "Open-Mike Fridays", where they read the poems they have written. Through the poems the kids are able to express themselves, and tell who they really are. In the end of the story the students have learned more about whats on the inside of their classmates rather than what they see on the outside.

When I heard the title Bronx Masquerade I interested immediately wondering what this story could be about. The title was very creative and set the scene for the story. The format of the book was very refreshing by giving each character their perspective on life and open-mike poetry in their class; this was followed by a personal poem and sometimes a letter. This was an interesting twist to the traditional chapter story. Another great parts of this story are the characters. As I was reading the characters I quickly related to many of them, or knew someone that was similar to them. As you read this story at times you feel like you are living through different parts of your life. It also brings back to the reader different parts of their high school experiences, and issues that you faced. The author was excellent, and the poems that were written were amazing, I would advise this book to many one, mostly high school students so that they can know that they are not the only one who faces certain things.

Bronx Masquerade is a book about 18 high school students. Through poems they write for Open Mike Friday in Mr. Ward's class, they tell their story and express themselves to the class. The poems they read help their classmates further understand them. The poems help the students to think twice about judging their classmates. Next year in Mr. Ward's class they hope to continue Open Mike Fridays and also A Poetry Slam. Thumbs up!

I read the Bronx Masquerade for a school purposes only. I had high hopes for the book after reading the Introduction that the author, Nikki Grimes wrote. I enjoyed reading how she strung the English language together so beautifully to create what sounded like a good book. My impression of the book was that it focused on several teenagers who find their voice in their English teacher's classroom. I expected there to be a good deal of continuity between the characters but honestly there wasn't much of anything but a bunch of ignorant kids expressing their problems. I also believe it perpetuated racist stereotypes, if you read the book you will know what I'm talking about. There was a level truth to what she wrote about but it was clouded by all of the problems the kids had.

I wanted to read this before our class started reading it, to know what the kids are reading. I am the slowest reader I know, and never thought I would finish this. In one sentence I was hooked. In one night, I was done.

I thought the "Bronx Masquerade" was a very good book. It goes fairly deep into the head of each student, and each have their own problems. I liked how Tyrone, one of the main males, commented after every poem, makes it seem more like the poem was actually performed. Another thing I liked is the fact that none of the problems came to a real close. Even though its not always what readers like, its more realistic. The ending kind of bugged me, because Grimes introduced a new charater in less than one page. Seems like there should be a sequel, but that would ruin the first book. Overall, I think "Bronx Masquerade" was a great choice, especially since we read it in a class setting.

Nikki Grimes did a phenomenal job in painting a portrait of an inner city high school. I really enjoyed reading her book, "Bronx Masquerade." I was able to relate to many of the characters in the book, even though I have never spent any time in the Bronx and don't really know that much about city life in New York.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has forgotten what it was like in high school or who thinks that they were the only person in school who had it rough.

Mr. Ward and his students started learning about the Harlem Renaissance, and they were told to write an essay about it. One of his students wrote a poem about Langston Hughes and all of a sudden they start having "Open Mike Fridays" (days in which students share poems about themselves.) Every Friday the kids got in front of the class and shared their poem. And after every poem the kids felt closer to each other. They became better friends. They knew what's going on with each other's lives, and they had a lot of fun doing it. The students realized that the bullying that they were doing was wrong, and they understood how the person that was being bullied felt.

I really loved this book it was about highschool students and their intrest in poetry! Their poerty connected all of the them together. There were whites,blacks,latinos,and italians. I think this book taught me alot about race and how there is always a place for someone to fit in, but you just gotta serach for it. I really recommend this book to anybody who love poerty or just likes to read. I finished the book in TWO days.It usually takes me about 4 days but this book was so good i just couldn't put it down!!!So check it out and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!!!

We read this in our English class and even though I've never experienced a lot of the situations that some of the students in Mr. Ward's class did I really felt sympathy and it helped me to also open up and write my own poems!

Bronx masquerade is a book about 18 high school students at William H Taft high school in the Bronx New York. As they face the world, there English teacher Mr.ward is doing Open mic were students write poems about anything. Through the poems they tell their deepest secrets and their perspective of the world . Each person facing different problems such as racial profiling ,bully , hiding there true identity, low self-esteem and more. before they barely thought they can relate to each other. To having more in common than they thought.

This is a fantastic book that I think many people should read. It is not like a regular book that talks about one person. This book talks about different peoiple in different sorts of ways. It describes people through poems and other types of writing. It is very descriptive and tells us a lot about each character. The auther makes the book more interesting and make teenagers want to read the book.

I read this book with a group of kids in the 8th grade for an English Class we are attending. All of us in the group thought that the book was well written and that we could follow what was happening.

Bronx Masquerade is a very compelling novel. Open Mike Fridays are a time in Mr. Ward's class when students get to express their true feelings through art, music, and poetry. Tyrone Bittings, Lupe Algarin, Janelle Battle, Sterling Hughes, and Shelia Gamberoni are just some of the people you will meet while you read their journal entries and their poems. Everyone finds out his or her true selves by the end of the book, especially Tyrone. This book is a really good and well written and everyone over the age of 13+ should enjoy this book.

This book has incredible potential of gaining more awards. The novel is about a class of teenagers in the Bronx, NY. Their English teacher, Mr. Ward, has an idea about how to get the class involved in the subject that they are covering, The Harlem Renaissance. He asks the class to write original poetry and share it with the class on "Open Mike Friday". What he gets is teenagers opening up to reveal a side of them that hardly any knew. The book is written in a way that is anything other than ordinary. I highly recommend this to anyone.

The Bronx Masquerade is an interesting poetry book. It brings out many emotions through poetry. Most of the characters in the book have never written poetry. When Mr. Ward, the teacher, assigns an essay on the Harlem Renaissance, everyone is upset because it sounds like a difficult assignment. Then instead of writing a paper, Wesley Boone writes a poem and reads it to the class. Soon everyone is writing poetry and reading it on "Open Mike Friday" which was set up for this occasion. I would encourage anyone to read this book.

I am the library/media specialist at a middle school. This book was easily the best piece of YA fiction that I've read all year. The teachers with whom I shared it were similarly impressed. One teacher just couldn't put it down, so she began reading it aloud to her class. (Fortunately they were in the middle of their poetry unit!) After class several of her students came to the media center looking for copies they could check out. The characters' voices ring true to readers of all ages and the message the book sends is timeless. I highly recommend this book to all!

As someone who has taught elementary thru high school in a poor rural, an affluent rural, and inner-city settings, I would be hard pressed to name a more accessible, indeed necessary, reading in all of the above school settings. For anyone with a love of creative writing, particularly spoken word and social consiousness, here it is at its best. Nikki Grimes has done an outstanding job introducing the power of language to young adult readers, far too many of whom have been jaded by little more than rote grammatics.

Bronx Masquerade, by Nikki Grimes, is a story of different students that try to overcome personal obstacles. Through poetry readings on Open Mike Friday, the students eventually learn to love themselves and others. This book had me hooked on from the first word. I never experienced a moment where I wanted to put the book down due to all of the mini stories within—they kept you entertained! Each chapter was a new experience, a new adventure; therefore I never doubted my positive feelings toward this book.

Bronx Masqerade has a rough surface, but a tender touch to it. The characters that are portrayed in the book know how to catch your attention because you know they are hiding something from you. When you start to read the student's poems, you're actually surprised. Some of these kids hardly ever come out of their judgemental shell, but we get to see what's behind the typical stereotypes. Bronx Masquerade is a great book that shows pride over prejudice.

Tittle-The bronx masquerade

Nikkl Grimes

I liked it.It was good. but i think tyrone dosnt have to keep saying things after people.

This book is about highschool people. And on every fridaythey have an open mike friday.
Open mike friday is when they standup and tell us about theirpoem. Their teachers name
is Mr.Ward.

I think it's to inform and to entertain because that's way they wrote it.

The theme is to have a career.

I thought the bronx masquerade was a great book. It seemed to be a play for 18, but with no one meeting. It was like the author was actually there. This is also the real thing. The things that go on in school that only the kids know about is what Nikki Grimes wrote about. All the students change throughout this "year". New friendships blossom as the kids realize how much they are alike, disregarding race and looks.

This book is incredibly written. Nikki Grimes has a gift of writing from multiple points of view. I shared the book with my high school students and their response was, "How have I not heard of this book before?" I look forward to reading it again and sharing it with future teens.

As someone who has taught elementary thru high school in a poor rural, an affluent rural, and inner-city settings, I would be hard pressed to name a more accessible, indeed necessary, reading in all of the above school settings. For anyone with a love of creative writing, particularly spoken word and social consiousness, here it is at its best. Nikki Grimes has done an outstanding job introducing the power of language to young adult readers, far too many of whom have been jaded by little more than rote grammatics.

Bronx Masquerade, by Nikki Grimes, is a story of different students that try to overcome personal obstacles. Through poetry readings on Open Mike Friday, the students eventually learn to love themselves and others. This book had me hooked on from the first word. I never experienced a moment where I wanted to put the book down due to all of the mini stories within—they kept you entertained! Each chapter was a new experience, a new adventure; therefore I never doubted my positive feelings toward this book.

The book Bronx Masquerade, I believe, was a good book. It showed many different situations that high school students are in. My eyes were not open to these situations before reading this. Another main point was that people usually have more than one side to themselves than they show. I found that I learned more about the characters through their poems than their journal entries. The only thing I found that I did not like was too many characters. This was necessary though to include all of the issues.

Bronx Masqerade has a rough surface, but a tender touch to it. The characters that are portrayed in the book know how to catch your attention because you know they are hiding something from you. When you start to read the student's poems, you're actually surprised. Some of these kids hardly ever come out of their judgemental shell, but we get to see what's behind the typical stereotypes. Bronx Masquerade is a great book that shows pride over prejudice.

Tittle-The bronx masquerade

Nikkl Grimes

I liked it.It was good. but i think tyrone dosnt have to keep saying things after people.

This book is about highschool people. And on every fridaythey have an open mike friday.
Open mike friday is when they standup and tell us about theirpoem. Their teachers name
is Mr.Ward.

I think it's to inform and to entertain because that's way they wrote it.

The theme is to have a career.

I thought the bronx masquerade was a great book. It seemed to be a play for 18, but with no one meeting. It was like the author was actually there. This is also the real thing. The things that go on in school that only the kids know about is what Nikki Grimes wrote about. All the students change throughout this "year". New friendships blossom as the kids realize how much they are alike, disregarding race and looks.

This book is incredibly written. Nikki Grimes has a gift of writing from multiple points of view. I shared the book with my high school students and their response was, "How have I not heard of this book before?" I look forward to reading it again and sharing it with future teens.

Bronx Masquerade is mostly about students in a classroom sharing their feelings. Throughout the book, each student gets more and more comfortable with sharing their feelings with other people. Many students overcome their conflicts throughout the book. It inspired me to look beneath the shell of anyone I see. People could be happy on the outside and hurting on the inside.

I thought this book would be boring because I had to read it for Summer Reading. But after reading it I realize that it is a great book. I like the fact that it skips from student to student because it makes it seem like a movie going from character to character. This is a great book and I would recommend it to any 9th grade student.

Bronx Masquerade

I feel good about the book because it make me feel better.

They live in New York city. They are in a reading class and in high school.
Some of the people write poems and in the book on friday they share their poems.

The purpose of this story is to entertain.

Mr. Ward wants them a to have a job and go to college.

Many people had different opinions on the book Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes. I for one did not like it. Other than the main character, Tyrone, you don't really know what is going with the characters. You hear from each character once and that's it. It's pretty annoying. When you only get a little from each character, it makes it hard to get sucked into the book. Even though Tyrone speaks a lot, you still don't really know what is going what's going on with him and his problems. I don't recommend this book to anyone.

Bronx Masqurerade is an engging book that grabs your attention fast and holds it. It has unexpected plot twists and turns that keep you on your toes. The in-your-face story and plot leave you begging for more! 5 stars! A must-read! Nikki Grimes is on my new-favorite-authors-list!

thanks Jimmy P.