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194th out of 255 books
—
302 voters
Ten Mile River
by
Paul Griffin (Goodreads Author)
A stunning debut novel about survival and friendship on the streets of New York City. Best friends Ray and Jose are not your typical thirteen-year-olds. They've escaped foster care and juvenile detention centers to live on their own together in an abandoned building located near Manhattan Park called Ten-Mile River. With no use for school or families, street-smart Jose and...more
Hardcover, 192 pages
Published
June 12th 2008
by Dial
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I picked up Ten Mile River in passing at my library. The cover looked cool, NYC in blue-ish tint, so I put it on the pile. And I'm glad I did.
Ten Mile River is the story of two juvenile delinquent teens; the book opens with "Ray is bigger, but Jose is boss," which sums up perfectly what it's all about. Ray is smarter (he reads Scientific American), but feels obligated to Jose, who is his foster brother. The two are hiding out in an abandoned stationhouse in NYC's Ten Mile River Park, surviving b...more
Ten Mile River is the story of two juvenile delinquent teens; the book opens with "Ray is bigger, but Jose is boss," which sums up perfectly what it's all about. Ray is smarter (he reads Scientific American), but feels obligated to Jose, who is his foster brother. The two are hiding out in an abandoned stationhouse in NYC's Ten Mile River Park, surviving b...more
I didn't like The Orange Houses, but was suprised to find out that this book was actually his first, and I really liked it! Two boys are surviving under the radar after skipping out on juvie and foster care by squatting in a place by Ten Mile River with their motley crew of dogs. When Raymond, the slower of the two, befriends a girl from a braid shop, she falls for Jose and the competition begins. Back and forth, they get into trouble, try to make things right again, while playing the roles simi...more
Two teen aged boys who met in a juvenile detention center live alone in park land near the Hudson River in NYC. Jose is the handsome leader and Ray the shy,smart and strong one. Ray's loyalty to Jose leads him to make mistakes and pass up opportunities to improve his life. It is a gritty, moving story with appropriately tough language.
Young teens Jose and Ray, friends who met in "juvie", live on their own in New York City, squatting in an abandoned building and stealing food to survive. While they can rely on Miss Yolie, who runs a braid shop, to treat them with kindness, most of the adults the boys meet only seek to use them for personal gain. The owner of a body shop pays them to shatter windshields and eventually entices them to steal cars for him, promising big financial rewards.
Jose is a slick one, bold, handsome, and c...more
Jose is a slick one, bold, handsome, and c...more
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Jose and Raymundo are homeless friends who met in juvie hall. They steal cars and food to live. Ray reads all the time and thinks about going back to school and playing it straight. Then Ray meets Trina, the hot niece of the lady who cuts his hair. He doesn't want to introduce Trina to Jose cause he knows they will hook up. They do. They are sent back to separate jails after a car robbery goes awry. When they get out they hook back up in the home they have created in an abandoned train station i...more
Ten Mile River
I really like think book because it made me learn a lot about life and how the world doesn't revolve around you and how life isn't perfect witch was explained by Jose and Ray, Best Friends in this book but see them self's as brothers. Jose and Ray have no parents and live by their self. They’ve escaped foster care and juvenile detention centers to live on their own together. This book was really interesting, mysterious and really funny. this book also showed me how the impossible c...more
I really like think book because it made me learn a lot about life and how the world doesn't revolve around you and how life isn't perfect witch was explained by Jose and Ray, Best Friends in this book but see them self's as brothers. Jose and Ray have no parents and live by their self. They’ve escaped foster care and juvenile detention centers to live on their own together. This book was really interesting, mysterious and really funny. this book also showed me how the impossible c...more
I really like Paul Griffin's novels but I feel conflicted about them. The characters are unique to YA - urban, poor, uneducated - but do they just reinforce stereotypes? Am I reading a minstrel show? I don't believe that's how it's intended, but sometimes that's how it feels when I read about two homeless kids stealing, scheming, going in and out of juvie, breaking into homes, and getting drunk.
That said, I still think Paul Griffin is an excellent writer with a fabulous ear for dialogue and a gi...more
That said, I still think Paul Griffin is an excellent writer with a fabulous ear for dialogue and a gi...more
This novel is a brand new voice on the YA scene with a story that I haven't even remotely comes across in my reading. Ray and Jose are the result of the foster system and have long ago deserted it. Since then they have been living in their shambolic digs, enjoying some creature comforts but doing without many basic needs.
The dialogue is authentic, the boys riffing off each other in a way that is very specific to guys. They love one another as brothers but many homophobic jokes make it clear that...more
The dialogue is authentic, the boys riffing off each other in a way that is very specific to guys. They love one another as brothers but many homophobic jokes make it clear that...more
It was a quick read at only 187-or-so pages, fast enough to keep my attention even though it didn't have a definite plot. It was one of those books that makes you see the world a little differently, through the eyes of someone else for once. I wouldn't suggest it if you're looking for romance, or high-intensity plot. It was a book that warmed my heart and I think its a good read for teenagers. Teaches a little something about loyalty, about courage, and about making your own choices in life.
*Up...more
*Up...more
I have been waiting to read this book for a while. It was recommended to me by several people. This book is very real and very scary. I kept putting it down and telling the people around me, "The characters in my book are not making good choices." As a high school teacher, I found it to be very frustrating and extremely sad, but I liked how Griffin wrote the truth with no apologies.
A solid entry in the "YA fiction about urban teens" genre. Griffin's two male protagonists are both totally believable, if all the action is not. The ending felt rushed and unsatisfyingly ambiguous, but I really liked the journey along the way. It's also gritty enough that it seems likely to appeal to my students.
This one's about as gritty as YA gets. Yet, it reads true and is very compelling. Try this one on fans of Ellen Hopkins, Walter Dean Myers, Rachel Cohn, Sharon Flake or K.L. Going.
Jose and Ray are 15 and 14 years old. They've survived Juvie, Foster Care and the streets together. They do whatever they have to, in order to get by. The two boys have made themselves a family, and are closer than most blood brothers. They each have their strengths, Jose his street smarts and good looks; Ray his bril...more
Jose and Ray are 15 and 14 years old. They've survived Juvie, Foster Care and the streets together. They do whatever they have to, in order to get by. The two boys have made themselves a family, and are closer than most blood brothers. They each have their strengths, Jose his street smarts and good looks; Ray his bril...more
This book was funny in a tragic way. These boys are always in trouble and so alone and it is sooo sad but they say funny things and have quirky dialogue that keeps the story moving. It grabs you and you definitely want a sequel to find out more!!
Not as good as my last read: We Were Here by Matt De La Pena, similarly themed, but still got stronger as I read more and definitely some laugh out loud moments. The characters are relatable and you grow to care about them.
Really likable characters and authentic dialog. Action and romance in an urban setting, and a good message. Urban-fiction-lite (grades 8 and up).
Gritty urban YA. An excellent first novel. I cared so much for Ray by the end; I need a sequel!!
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So, gritty. So, real. Paul Griffin is a treasure. He changes lives. Every. Day. Recommended for the most reluctant urban reader, ages 13 & up.
STAY WITH ME is still my favorite, but this is an excellent novel for struggling teens.
STAY WITH ME is still my favorite, but this is an excellent novel for struggling teens.
Hard-hitting YA. Very vibrant characters (of two boys living a very hard life in NYC).
It was o.k. and it had a good message.But it just didn't have enough action for me.
complex characters, authentic voices, and surprising twists.
Ray and Jose have been together since foster care, juvie, and well, just about for-ever. Brothers (not by blood), they're thick as thieves....literally. Jose and Ray would do ANYTHING for each other, but when ANYTHING comes down to holding each other back from their true potential, will the bond between these two last?
I enjoyed this book - really liked the characters. Found the dialect (slang) a bit disruptive to the flow of my reading.
I enjoyed this book - really liked the characters. Found the dialect (slang) a bit disruptive to the flow of my reading.
2 young adults on a difficult road to manhood in New York City.
One of the best young adult novels I've read this year (200 or so). Wonderfully tuned dialog of two teenage guys living in a shack in the scrub along the river in Manhattan and surviving by stealing and thinking fast on their feet. One street smart, the other book smart, and both friends forever. Funny, tough, poignant in just the right balance.
Love, loved this book. It's raw and honest, so much so that, at times, I was so frustrated by the choices made by the characters--but loved them anyway, especially Ray. Fantastic choice for boys trying to figure out what it means to be men.
I liked this book becuase it was about a true story about these two young boys with now parents and lived on there own at the age of 15 and stole to survive.
I did not like this book. when i read books i have to understand them and this book I did not understand very well.
Had a weak ending.
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Paul Griffin lives, writes, and trains dogs in New York City. His previous novel, The Orange Houses, was an ALA Best Book for Young Adults Top Ten, an International Reading Association 2010 Notable Book for a Global Society, a Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best Book of 2009, and an Amelia Bloomer Project Award winner.
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