Code of Honor

by Alan Gratz Narrated by Dan Bittner

Overview

A timely, nonstop action-adventure about the War on Terror--and a family torn apart.

When seventeen-year-old Iranian American Kamran Smith learns that his brother has been labeled a terrorist, he knows something isn't right. In a race against time, it is up to Kamran to prove his brother's innocence, even as the country has turned against him and his family. With the help of a ragtag team of underground intelligence professionals, Kamran must piece together the clues and the codes that will save his brother's life--and save his country from possibly the largest terrorist attack since 9/11.

Acclaimed author Alan Gratz takes readers on a nonstop action-adventure journey through the emotional, political, and cultural landscape of the War on Terror, while weaving a poignant tale of two brothers.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Praise for Code of Honor:"Readers will be swept up by both the intrigue and the rapid pacing... Kamran is a smart and sympathetic narrator, and readers will be happy to spend time with him in this action-packed thriller." — Kirkus Reviews"Exciting, at times ripped from the headlines, and scary, this cinematic work has layers of intrigue and danger in each scene... will appeal to a variety of readers and will raise questions about patriotism, loyalty, and trust... A winner." — School Library Journal"Vivid characters and timely topics, such as posttraumatic stress disorder, contribute to making Code of Honor a first-rate novel." — VOYAPraise for Prisoner B-3087:A Junior Library Guild SelectionGolden Sower Award, 2014-2015 Winner NebraskaIsinglass Teen Read Award, 2014-2015 Winner New HampshirePennsylvania Young Readers' Choice Award, 2014-2015 Winner PennsylvaniaJunior Book Award, 2015-2016 Winner South CarolinaGrand Canyon Reader Award, 2015-2016 Winner ArizonaTruman Readers Award, 2015-2016 Winner MissouriReaders Choice Awards, Winner 2015-2016 Virginia Volunteer State Book Award Winner, 2015-2016 Tennessee"A powerful story, well told." — School Library Journal"A bone-chilling tale not to be ignored." — Kirkus Reviews"[A] remarkable survival story." — Booklist"Gratz ably conveys . . . fatalism, yearning, and determination in the face of the unimaginable." — Publishers Weekly"Heartbreaking, gripping, raw, and emotional . . . storytelling at its finest." — VOYA

School Library Journal - Audio

★ 01/01/2016
Gr 8 Up—Seventeen-year-old Kamran Smith is a typical American high school student. He plays football, has a girlfriend and friends, plans to attend West Point after he graduates, and has an older brother he idolizes, Darius, a U.S. Army Ranger. But when Darius is captured in Afghanistan and is then seen on television appearing to work alongside terrorists, Kamran and his family are viewed with suspicion. People, including all of Kamran's friends, begin to distance themselves from the family. Fear, discrimination, and prejudice begin to rear their heads, as well as anti-Muslim and anti-Arab sentiment. Homeland Security eventually detains the family. And Kamran still has to deal with his own questions and doubts about his brother's loyalty. As more footage airs, Kamran begins to believe that Darius may be trying to send coded messages to him. Determined to prove that his brother is not a traitor, Kamran enlists the help of a CIA operative. This riveting work, narrated by Dan Bittner, moves at a furious and intense pace. Because the story deals with events taken from today's headlines, it takes on a gritty and frightening plausibility. VERDICT A fast-paced, relevant, and well-crafted story that will keep listeners guessing whether Darius is or is not a traitor. ["A winner for independent reading and deeper discussion with its timely topic, strong writing, and appealing characters": SLJ 7/15 review of the Scholastic book.]—Mary Oluonye, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH

School Library Journal

07/01/2015
Gr 8 Up—An Arab American teen, Kamran has always considered himself fully American—a high school star football player who dates one of the most popular girls and a homecoming king contender. He plans to attend West Point for college, like his army officer brother, Darius. All of this changes when authorities identify his brother as a deserter and terrorist, responsible for the bombing of the U.S. embassy in Turkey and the deaths of 53 people. Life takes on nightmarish proportions when Kamran is first ostracized by his friends and classmates and then taken into custody and held as a prisoner by the U.S. government. Despite days of questioning and watching videos of Darius, the teen refuses to acknowledge that his brother is a terrorist. As he pays closer attention to the videos, he realizes that his brother is trying to give him information about terrorist plans by using scenarios from games the two used to play and the Code of Honor they signed when they were children. With help from surprising sources, Kamran escapes and heads out to find his sibling. Exciting, at times ripped from the headlines, and scary, this cinematic work has layers of intrigue and danger in each scene. The well-developed protagonist reacts in typical teen fashion, with anger, doubt, rage, and faith in his brother. This action-packed novel will appeal to a variety of readers and will raise questions about patriotism, loyalty, and trust. VERDICT A winner for independent reading and deeper discussion with its timely topic, strong writing, and appealing characters.—Janet Hilbun, University of North Texas

Kirkus Reviews

2015-04-29
An Iranian-American teen's faith in his beloved brother is pushed to the limit when it appears that he may be involved in a terrorist attack on the U.S. Embassy in Turkey. High school senior Kamran and his parents are stunned when his brother, Darius, a U.S. Army Ranger, appears in a video following the embassy bombing, disheveled and rambling, claiming responsibility for the attack. The family's descent into a constantly monitored nightmare of confusion is believably horrific. When Kamran notices that Darius seems to be slipping references into his posted videos about imaginary games they used to play as children, his parents don't believe it could be a clue that all is not as it seems. Only when Kamran is wrested from his home by Homeland Security, bound, drugged, and spirited away to an unknown detention facility, does he meet an ally. Readers will be swept up by both the intrigue of puzzling out the truth behind Darius' presumed guilt and by the rapid pacing. Short, intricately plotted chapters spur the story forward, and the audience will be constantly unsure about who can be trusted. Action sequences are a little unlikely; readers may find it hard to believe that one teen can take on so many militarily trained adults. Quibbles aside, Kamran is a smart and sympathetic narrator, and readers will be happy to spend time with him in this action-packed thriller. (Adventure. 14-18)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171262297
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	08/25/2015
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	936,439
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

Read an Excerpt

From CODE OF HONORThunder. No — footsteps. Feet pounding down the hall. Someone was coming for me. Half-remembered childhood nightmares seized me, and I scrambled backward across the bed in a panic, trying to get away from Voldemort, the Joker, the aliens, the demons. I fell on the floor with a thump, the bed covers coming with me. My legs were tangled in them. I couldn't kick free. And then they were there. Dark shapes surged into my room, black on black silhouettes with hulking shoulders and big round eyes that flashed. My fear made me five again. I curled up against the side of the bed like I was playing Hide and Seek with my older brother, Darius, hoping he wouldn't see me. But the demons knew where I was. They homed in on me like guided missiles. Rough hands grabbed me. Hauled me to my feet. Threw me face first on the bed. Somewhere, remotely, I heard my mother scream, heard my father cry out. The demons had come for them too. "Mom! Dad!" I cried. I kicked and squirmed, trying to get away, but my arms were wrenched behind me and bound with a plastic zip-ties that cut into my wrists. The hands pulled me up again, and I read the words on one of my captors' uniforms:POLICEHOMELAND SECURITY Reality finally overrode my half-awake nightmares. "No. No! Darius is innocent!" I cried. "He's not a terrorist! You don't understand! They're making him do everything!" The DHS agents wrangled a thick bag over my head, and the already dark room went completely black. "No! Please! Don't!" I yelled. The black bag was close. Suffocating. My hot breath was damp on my face, and I started to panic. "You can't do this! I was born in America! I'm am American citizen!" The DHS agents ignored my protests. I kicked and thrashed as they dragged me from my room, down the hall, and out through the front door. A few days ago, all I had cared about was winning the Homecoming game. Getting into college. Going on a date with Julia Gary. Normal high school senior stuff. A few days ago, I had been king of the world. Now I was a prisoner of the United States of America.

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