My Thoughts on Miles Morales: Suspended

I was recently gifted a copy of the new Miles Morales: Suspended book by Simon & Schuster, and just finished reading it this past weekend! You all know how much I love Spidey (any chance to talk about how much I love any and all variations of Spider-Man is a good enough reason for me!) so let's talk about what I thought about the book! A fair warning to you all that I will be talking about the plot in detail in this article, so if you wanted to experience the book your first time without any spoilers, I recommend giving it a read before continuing on with this blog post!

There is so much to talk about in regards to this book that I loved, so let's start with general ideas before moving into details here. Jason Reynolds' writing of this story was so beautifully well done. I loved the way that it switched back and forth from written story to poem verse. And every time he switched was perfectly executed and enhanced the plot and feeling of the story very well. I think especially in the parts of the story where Miles is doing his assignments and working through the emotions he is feeling in the moment, this verse style was so powerful. And Zeke Peña's artwork was BEAUTIFUL. Anytime I saw even a hint that there was an illustration on the next page, I was so excited. I think my favorite one has to be the drawing of Miles in his full suit, standing in the street (in the scene where he is being approached to take pictures with tourists!).

In terms of the plot, I thought it was a super interesting story. The concept of the termites and infestation, whether physically or ideologically, was so prevalent and powerful to what is happening in life now. The termite ruining and destroying books, especially ones that had to do with the history of African American heritage and history, I think keys in to a lot of really important topics that are happening in current day news, whether that be the Black Lives Matter movement or book bans in schools, for example. And not only that, but the whole reason why Miles is in in-school suspension to begin with: that he stood up for himself and was punished for that. And I think having these important issues not only talked about in this book but also told in a way that younger audiences have a chance to learn and understand topics that are currently happening in day to day life is so incredibly important.

I will say, I think his classmate becoming a giant termite was something I was not really expecting the plot to go towards, though! That entire scene at the end when Miles ends up fighting him in the bathroom was definitely super plot-twisty. Now looking back, I feel like I should have seen that coming from a MILE away, but Miles didn't see it either and he was actively living it. So I'm not too mad at myself for not picking that up HAHHA. And poor Miles trying to read his assignments and absolutely freaking out over the words changing over and over and over, on top of being in in-school suspension, on top of his Spidey-Sense going haywire the entire time. He must have been absolutely exhausted by the end of the day.

And we can't have a Spidey story without our favorite side characters as well, which leads us to talking about Ganke. I was so glad Jason added him to the plot! He is such a sweetie and you can tell how much his relationship with Miles means to him. They've always got each other's backs, even if it is helping him with the smallest things, like giving Miles the idea to web the cuff of his shirt so that he doesn't get written up for improper uniform wear at his suspension. 

Overall, too, I think having the plot take place in a situation where Miles is unable to move, unable to do anything except the assignments he is provided, while everything seems to be crumbling around him, made the story just that bit more intense. That we as the reader can tell that there is something wrong, and we worry for Miles and what is going to happen next. It made the plot so interesting and in turn, provided such a great story along with the many other elements that added to that effect, such as the written verse and the pacing of the plot.

If you haven't read Miles Morales: Suspended yet, be sure to pick up your own copy! I highly recommend it as a great Spidey read, and it's definitely a book I am so happy to have on my shelf, and one that I for sure will re-read in the future <3.