Review by Kaitlyn Chan
Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, 2023
320 pages, paperback, $19.99 CAD, 9781665918466
Young Adult, Ages 12+
Fiction, Action/Adventure
What equations are responsible for who you are in this moment? What patterns seem to be natural to your life?
Miles Morales Suspended touches on themes of identity, censorship, and the “patterns” of Miles’ life and upbringing through a combination of prose and poetry. The reader joins Miles for a day of in-school suspension, and it soon becomes apparent that something is afoot when termites start popping up and setting off his spidey-sense. Can Spider-Man solve this mystery? Or is this incident representative of something greater than defeating another bad guy?
Miles Morales is an Afro-Latino teenager born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Jason Reynolds, the author, brings Miles’ identity to the forefront of the narrative by examining how race, culture, and environment contribute to how one interacts with the world and how the world responds. I want to acknowledge that I cannot relate to Miles’—or Reynolds’— experiences as a person of colour in America, so I will not make judgements on how identity is handled in this novel. Instead, I will emphasize that Reynolds’ makes a significant effort to address Miles’ identity through references to his family tree, specific cultural experiences, and exposure to racist aggressors and microaggressions. These elements play into the greater narrative with Miles fighting a villain determined to censor and oppress certain minority groups. I found this story engaging because the stakes were more personal and intimate than saving the world for the sake of saving the world. Miles has a connection to the conflict; it’s a pattern in his history that he wants to break.
Another compelling element of Miles Morales Suspended is its format. Rather than being a constant chain of prose, Reynolds has inserted numerous poems throughout the text sometimes accompanied by Zeke Peña’s illustrations. These poems continue the narrative of the story and are integral to understanding the plot, character motivations, and background. I found the novel to be fast paced because of how the poems would separate big blocks of text. There is also a lot to gain from closely analyzing Miles’ poems. Sometimes they will be humorous and light-hearted but even these contain insightful reflections on Miles’ feelings, life experiences, and the mystery at hand. For example, the short poem titled “The Pledge Of Annoyance” speaks to how Miles feels upset about being punished for standing up for himself and his beliefs in the opening chapter.
Miles Morales Suspended is a novel with a clear and distinct voice. Its plot and message couldn’t belong to any other Spider-Man because it relies heavily on Miles exploring his identity when others might try to prevent him from doing so. I appreciated how this novel paid tribute to the original Marvel comics by combining action and art through the inclusion of poetry and illustrations. Miles Morales Suspended is more than just another superhero book. It asks readers to look at the patterns in their own lives and be curious about why they exist.
Kaitlyn Chan is a current student at UBC, studying English Literature and Creative Writing. Fulfilling the typical stereotypes of English majors, Kaitlyn enjoys reading, writing, and tea. She spends her free time training for triathlons, singing songs in her bedroom, and trying not to buy more books.
YOUNG ADULTING 