The Junto Racing to the Bell

“I could not put this book down. In fact, I read it in two days. The main character, Jamil Jamil reveals the heart of so many of our African American students in urban settings. The author has captured the essence of Jamil Jamil– courageous, lonely, creative, isolated--has a grandmother who supplements a crack head mother—and he has a smart, engaging personality. The setting is Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the time is now. Jamil’s charter school provides an option for a safe effective education. Jamil has inherited a gift that allows him to transcend human communication; a secret gift that enables him to deal with a possible 9-11 terrorist attack on his beloved city. The book is rich with behind the scene information regarding governmental and international intrigue. Readers from elementary through high school as well as adults will find this an exciting and enjoyable experience. Whether the book is read to or read by youth and their family members, a good feeling will result.” Fredricka Reisman, Ph.D. Professor and Founder of the Drexel University School of Education Director of the Drexel/Torrance Center for Creativity and Innovation Drexel University Philadelphia, PA

• Amazon reviews

“I could not put this book down. In fact, I read it in two days. The main character, Jamil Jamil reveals the heart of so many of our African American students in urban settings. The author has captured the essence of Jamil Jamil– courageous, lonely, creative, isolated--has a grandmother who supplements a crack head mother—and he has a smart, engaging personality.
The setting is Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the time is now. Jamil’s charter school provides an option for a safe effective education. Jamil has inherited a gift that allows him to transcend human communication; a secret gift that enables him to deal with a possible 9-11 terrorist attack on his beloved city. The book is rich with behind the scene information regarding governmental and international intrigue. Readers from elementary through high school as well as adults will find this an exciting and enjoyable experience. Whether the book is read to or read by youth and their family members, a good feeling will result.”
Fredricka Reisman, Ph.D.
Professor and Founder of the Drexel University School of Education
Director of the Drexel/Torrance Center for Creativity and Innovation
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA

Ron Costello comes on to the scene of literature at a difficult time, a time when most books from new authors struggle for publication by the faltering publishing houses and find the light of day with print on demand or with smaller, courageous publishers. THE JUNTO, RACING TO THE BELL is a very readable, absorbing, entertaining and socially significant story that comes to us at a propitious time, a time when our focus is once again on Terrorism and the seeming neglect of signs and warnings of tragedies such as just happened at Fort Hood. Costello has created a story that addresses a new thought-provoking tale about the mysterious occult possibilities for discovering such incidents but instead of stopping with a clever idea (a receptive little boy named Jamil Jamil who is from Philadelphia's poverty pockets, a child cramped by familial crumbling, but blessed with a wise grandmother and with the ability to communicate with animals), he wisely takes the opportunity of using a richly detailed and credible fantasy tale and presents significant views about social conditions, about education, and about the ability for children deprived of the usual comforts of education and living situations to rise above their lot and become heroes.

Costello states in his Foreword 'Some say animals don't think. Oh, but don't you dare listen to that......In this story...you will read about a boy named Jamil Jamil who can exchange mind messages with animals. He does not speak to animals, but when he thinks, they can listen and vice versa; listening on a wave not available to you and me......Who among us can truly say that the sixth dimension doesn't exist?' Costello then unravels his tale about Jamil Jamil who with the help from the zoo animals protects the city of Philadelphia from a Terrorist attack. His story is original, endearing, and he creates characters who are well formed and about whom we care. Gifted with a fluid writing technique that flows from chapter to chapter in a manner that makes pausing to read later next to impossible, Ron Costello has hit upon a technique of communication that seems to promise a viable future for his planned future installments based on the little character Jamil Jamil: he has also demonstrated writing skills that will likely lead to fine novels outside of this successful series. Recommended. Grady Harp, November 09 

Not a Candidate for a Children's Literature Anthology-But it Should Be, October 30, 2009

Anyone who has had the misfortune to teach language arts in public schools knows why students are not engaged by the material. Stories that appear in the anthologies are heavily vetted to please various political pressure groups, both right and left, and as a result, the characters are divorced from any reality or relevance to the lives of the students. Ron Costello aimed for something a little different in this book, and the result is a combination of gritty realism and fantasy. The lead character, Jamil Jamil is overweight, subject to bullying, and lives sometimes with his drug addicted mother and her string of abusive boyfriends. (Sometimes he sleeps on the streets.) His "saving grace" is a charter school where, unlike the local public schools, children are not in charge. Naturally, he does not like it that much, though through the course of this novel he comes to see why this school offers him a way out of the dead end life of south Philadelphia.

But Jamil Jamil's real blessing is a grandmother who truly cares for him and a "secret," the ability to communicate with animals through a set of images he calls mind memorandums. He also stumbles across a terrorist plot (involving a very realistic dirty bomb scenario) and naturally has a difficult time getting anyone to believe his warnings. Such are the consequences of life as a young black teenager living in the inner city. How he foils the plot can safely be left to the readers.

In all this is an engaging book written in an authentic voice. The author clearly knows Philadelphia and the book is full of cultural references to the city. I think upper grade elementary and early middle school children would appreciate it. But they are unlikely to read it. It will not appear in any children's anthologies. Moreover, with the current constraints on teaching in a post "No Child Left Behind" world, teachers no longer have the freedom to select their own material. So as a result, books which feature a random drive by killing a college student who managed to escape the city, drug sales on a street corner, and sing the praises of charter schools are simply not likely to find an audience. The textbook publishers like "diversity" in their characters, so long as all have lily white politically correct values. This book instead offers a gritty realism that might actually make literature more meaningful for many inner city kids. It is unfortunate that that is precisely what large textbook publishers and state/federal mandated curriculums won't allow.

By	Kathy W (Baltimore) - See all my reviews

This book is excellent! With a blend of current events, humor and the seriousness of a possible terrorist attack on Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love, this story captures the adventures of an inner-city African American youth (about age 12 or so). Jamil Jamil is quite an ordinary young man, but one with a special gift. He can talk to animals, by a mental process he calls "mind memorandums"! And, they talk to him too!

The story begins by telling us that we are all dealt certain cards in life and how we play them determines our future. Jamil Jamil is a poor kid, living in "The Hood". His mom is on drugs most of the time. Her boyfriends come and go and usually are not very nice to Jamil Jamil. They would just as soon not have him around. After all, their business is with Momma. Sometimes, it's easier for the boy to just sleep outside the house, on the ground. Other kids pick on him, especially when he tries to help defenseless animals. Great Grandma Rody is really Jamil Jamil's only consort. She understands his gift and always encourages him. Grandma Rody even arranged for him to go to a better school, a no-nonsense school, where he can actually get an education.

Although the book is primarily about the terrorist plot, the story touches on life in The Hood, a life that many of us know nothing about or have only heard about. The book sends a message about why education is important and how crime and drugs and bad-attitude kids are not the way to go. It also shows you how these kids not only ruin their lives, but those of others as well. Additionally, this story shows us that one person CAN most definitely make a tremendous difference, even a kid with nothing but the guts to want to help.

Together, with his army of unlikely animals, he displays the courage and tenacity to go up against 6 suicide terrorists and a hit-woman. Allah's Messengers" are members of Osama bin Laden's terrorist army and will stop at nothing to succeed. Their task?--To set off a bomb at the Liberty Bell. A Dirty Bomb that will kill many in the initial blast, but will also slowly kill many more, in a 500 mile radius and over the next 20 or 30 years! Can Jamil Jamil and his army foil the evil-doers and save millions of lives?

Hopefully, this story will have an added benefit of teaching our children an awareness of terrorism and the warped thinking behind it. Terrorism is a real and a continued threat to our lives and our freedom. Terrorists do not necessarily look or dress a certain way, or belong to a certain religion or ethnicity. It is important for EVERYONE, even our children, to understand and to be aware of things that don't look right and to report them to the authorities for further investigation. It is also important to understand that terrorists are often ready, and quite willing, to DIE for their cause, something that many of us find it hard to comprehend.

The book also provides an awareness of captivity from the perspective of animals, and hopefully a better appreciation of zoo animals. After reading this book, you may look at them in a slightly different light the next time you visit the zoo, and maybe you will try to think of ways to help improve their lives. All animals, domesticated or wild zoo animals, give us so much. We want them to be happy and well cared for.

A study guide is also available for teachers who want to use this book as classroom reading. I believe this book would be well received by students in the classroom. You may want to ask that it be available in your school or at least in your school library. Of course, you may want to consider having a copy of your own.