Entering the Way (Dojo Rats, No 1) [Mass Market Paperback]

James Raven (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1993 | Age Level: 10 and up

When Keith comes upon troublemaker Rikki beating up on a defenseless street person, he is forced to step in and use his karate.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This first volume of a new series introduces a multiracial foursome of teenage karate students--Keith, Joel, Kim and Davina--who pledge themselves to applying the philosophy of karate to fighting off Nemesis, a street gang taking over their neighborhood. Raven's characters are a little too squeaky-clean to be likable, functioning more as two-dimensional emblems than as true-to-life figures. Also, the book's karate lore reads like a sequence of fortune cookie sayings and leaves the reader with a caricature of that ancient and honorable tradition. Finally, since race and ethnicity are mentioned in only the vaguest of terms (no one ever utters a slur of any sort), an air of unreality permeates the action. Raven's worthwhile efforts here--to portray teenagers of divergent backgrounds working together to forge meaningful lives in the face of social and economic hardship--are unfortunately undercut by the lack of a clear voice in which he could express his vision. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-7-- Four kids in a San Francisco karate class join together to form the Dojo Rats to try and fight--without fighting--Nemesis, a gang that's suddenly moving into their neighborhood. No, it's not a TV show premier. It's the first of a new karate series, and one that's good in spite of itself. "Multiculturalism" is the buzzword for the 90s, and this book fits the bill, although readers may not find the ethnicity of all of the characters convincing. What makes the story come alive is the realistic San Francisco setting and the characters' struggles with the problems of violence and poverty. Like Baker's Fight for Honor (Puffin, 1992), this story takes karate principles and shows how they can fit into young peoples' lives to help them solve their own problems. Of course the Dojo Rats come out ahead in the end, but not until they've had a few close calls with Nemesis. This is an involving adventure that avoids the cliches that pigeonhole many sports titles as "boys books." --Cathryn A. Camper, Minneapolis Public Library
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 136 pages
• Publisher: Bantam Books for Young Readers (January 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553299298
• ISBN-13: 978-0553299298
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.8 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,490,726 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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