Scorpions (novel)
Scorpions, first published on June 20, 1988 by Harper & Row, is a young adult novel written by Walter Dean Myers. It was a Newbery Medal Honor Book in 1989. The book was republished by HarperCollins on October 6, 2009 and by Amistad on April 23, 2013. Plot. Jamal is trying to get his brother, Randy, out of jail. Randy is a 17-year-old who is the leader of the Scorpions, a local gang of drug dealers in New York City. Jamal's family includes himself, Randy, his mother, his 8-year-old sister whose name is Sassy , and his father, Jeovon Hicks. Jamal's father became an alcoholic after losing his job and began abusing Jamal's mother. She moves away with the children. Now Jamal's father comes to visit the family "once in a while". When the story begins, Randy only needs $500 to appeal his conviction. His mother is working to the bone in order to earn enough money to get the appeal for Randy. His mother soon finds out that his brother has been attacked and stabbed while in jail and is in medical care. Some members of the Scorpions want Jamal  to join them until Randy is freed from jail so that there will be direct communication between the gang and Randy. Other members want to vote on a new leader because they feel Randy is dead to them and that letting a 12-year-old joining a gang would not be beneficial. Jamal wants to earn money the right way by working but is scared to go against the Scorpions. Eventually, Jamal breaks free from the bad influence and does the right thing. Reception. "Scorpions" received the following accolades: