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Riot - Online Book Club


Welcome to our online book club for grades 9 - 12! We are excited for you to join us in our discussion for Riot by Walter Dean Myers.


Along with a free copy of the book, you will receive a review page so you can tell us what you thought of the book! You will also receive a flyer for this website, a questions page to consider, activity pages, and an information page with cool links related to the book!


Please remember that we have a limited number of kits available, so it's first come, first served. If you have any special requests or need accommodations, please let Leanna or Amanda know!


All we ask is that you read the book: do as much or as little of the rest of it as you want!


"Riot" by Walter Dean Myers


During a long hot July in 1863, the worst race riots the United States has ever seen erupt in New York City. Earlier that year, desperate for more Union soldiers, President Abraham Lincoln instituted a draft – a draft that would allow the wealthy to escape serving in the army by paying a $300 waiver, more than a year’s income for the recent immigrant Irish. And on July 11, as the first drawing takes place in Lower Manhattan, the city of New York explodes in rage and fire. Stores are looted; buildings, including the Colored Foundling Home, are burned down; and black Americans are attacked, beaten, and murdered. The police cannot hold out against the rioters, and finally, battle-hardened soldiers are ordered back from the fields of Gettysburg to put down the insurrection, which they do –brutally. Fifteen-year-old Claire, the beloved daughter of a black father and Irish mother, finds herself torn between the two warring sides. Faced with the breakdown of the city –the home – she has loved, Claire must discover the strength and resilience to address the new world in which she finds herself, and to begin the hard journey of remaking herself and her identity.”


*Here are the following pages that you will receive with your kit!*



Walter Dean Myers’ website:


Books on Tape’s page for Riot, read by a full cast. You can listen to an excerpt here:


History.com’s page on the New York City Draft Riots:


Street Easy’s page on the Five Points area of New York City :


Moviepedia’s page on Gangs of New York, a film that is set in the area of Five Points and partially during the New York Draft Riots:


Included as well: a Riot crossword puzzle and a Riot word search.




Play the puzzle online:


Find the words online:



We hope you enjoy these activities and cannot wait to hear what you thought of the book! We also hope you enjoyed the extra links. Remember, you can comment here on this website, email us at swantonpl@gmail.com, or come in and turn in a physical copy!

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