The Warriors of Distinction has been the school's most exclusive club for 50 years, so when 16-year-old Jericho is asked to pledge, he's excited--and intimidated. He is also disappointed after he realizes that he'll have to give up a music competition because he can't miss a night of the initiation week. When the ceremony turns cruel--with the one girl pledge being singled out for abuse--Jericho begins to have second thoughts. Then the affair turns deadly. There are several problems here. To her credit, Draper offers a story that is profanity free, but this makes the dialogue less credible. It's difficult to imagine teens not using swear words in some of these situations, and the slang used instead often makes conversations sound stilted. The plot is also chock-full, making it hard to focus on everything that's going on, even though Jericho helps center the story. Draper does portray a timely scenario, however, with middle-class African American kids (and others) put into a situation that many young people face: the wish for inclusion butting up against the knowledge of right and wrong.

Jericho is thrilled when he's asked to join the Warriors of Distinction, a school club with a fifty-year history and fine reputation for community service. But he soon learns that membership involves a prolonged and demeaning hazing campaign that includes paddling, being led on a leash, and jumping from a second-story window. This well-characterized novel moves with mounting tension to its inevitably tragic conclusion.

The Warriors of Distinction are Douglas High's elite group, a brotherhood separate from school, a service club with a secret initiation resulting in a slick jacket that is the ultimate status symbol for the guys. When cousins Josh and Jericho and their friend Kofi are asked to participate in the Christmas toy drive, they know they are being considered as members. When Kofi's girlfriend Dana sneaks into the midnight initiation, demanding her right to join, everyone knows that this will not be an ordinary pledge group. Draper drops plenty of hints that hazing can be dangerous, even deadly and then supplies a denouement that's unexpected, but somehow inevitable. As pledge week grimly proceeds, issues arise in Jericho's mind and his trumpet-playing serves as an outlet for his confusion, but readers will see with crystal clarity that in secrecy, evil breeds. (Fiction. YA)

Draper (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Forged by Fire; <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Double Dutch) conveys the seductive power of teen clubs and the dangers of hazing rituals in this timely novel about a talented trumpet player. Jericho is ecstatic when he and his cousin Josh get the coveted invitation to join the Warriors of Distinction, a prestigious organization known for its community service. Both boys enjoy raised status at Frederick Douglass High when word gets out that they've pledged, but becoming a Warrior comes at a high price. During initiation week, Jericho compromises his dignity, his morals and, as the nightly rituals become increasingly intense, even his dreams of attending Juilliard. Other pledges suffer as well. One engages in strenuous physical activity despite his heart condition, and Dana, the only female member of the group, is continually harassed by a sadistic senior Warrior. The novel is not without flaws. Many characters border on stereotypes and much of the plot is fairly predictable, but these problems may be overlooked by audience members who are anxious to find out how extreme Jericho and others can be. As tragedy inevitably strikes, the author drives home an important message about peer pressure. Ages 12-up. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(June)

Gr 7-10-When an elite club, The Warriors of Distinction, invites Jericho and his cousin Josh to pledge, the teens look forward to wearing the black silk jacket, going to great parties, and receiving the admiring glances of the other students at their Ohio high school. Even the girl Jericho has a crush on begins to show an interest in him. The initiation process begins rather tamely with the new pledges helping with the Christmas toy drive, but as it progresses, Jericho becomes increasingly uncomfortable with what they are asked to do and the way they treat Dana, the first-ever female pledge. Adopting the group's "All of us or none of us" creed, the 15 inductees decide to continue. In an intense climax, pledging goes tragically wrong and the repercussions are felt throughout the community. Draper has captured the essence of teens caught up in peer pressure who must ultimately live with the results of their actions. Her characters are deeply human and the strong plot mirrors the difficult choices that young people must make as they try to reconcile their need for acceptance with their inner values. Mostly, though, this title is a compelling read that drives home important lessons about making choices.-Janet Hilbun, formerly at Sam Houston Middle School, Garland, TX Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.