The Bluford Series

The Bluford Series
Genre Young adult, teen fiction
Publisher Townsend Press

The Bluford Series is a widely read collection of contemporary American young adult novels set in the fictional inner-city high school of Bluford High.[1] The series was created and published by Townsend Press and is co-distributed by Scholastic. As part of an effort to promote reading in underfunded school districts, Townsend Press originally made the Bluford Series available to schools for a dollar each.[2] As of 2015, over 10 million Bluford Series novels were in print.

Synopsis

The Bluford Series is set in Bluford High School, the fictional school all the main characters attend. Each novel features a teenage protagonist facing difficult challenges in and out of school. Topics explored in the books include bullying, school violence, teenage pregnancy, divorce, peer pressure, and substance abuse. Despite these gritty topics, the Bluford Series has been praised widely for its engaging stories and responsible handling of difficult subject matter, earning positive reviews in Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, and the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy. While each novel in the Bluford Series can be read independently, the books are interconnected and represent a span of about 2 years at Bluford high.

Reception

Reception for The Bluford Series has been positive,[3] with the ALA picking many of the books in the series as "Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers." [4][5] The ALA also selected Bluford titles as "Popular Paperbacks".[6] Educators in many states, including Florida and New York, have noted that the series has been well received by their student population.[7][8]

Of Brothers in Arms (Bluford Series #9), the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy wrote that the book's themes were applicable to struggling teens."[9] Kirkus Reviews called Survivor (Bluford Series #20), "a brave young-adult novel" and said the Bluford Series "offers unflinchingly honest plot situations to engage and educate readers." Similarly, School Library Journal called Promises to Keep (Bluford Series # 19), "compassionate, insightful, and educational, along with being action-packed, realistic, and emotionally and psychologically accurate." Favorable reviews for many Bluford titles can be found in Kirkus Reviews. In addition, The Horn Book singled out the Bluford Series as "perennially popular among urban teens" and listed three Bluford titles as "Good YA Urban Novels."

Facts About The Bluford Series

Titles

No. Name Published Author Plot
1 Lost and Found 2002 Anne Schraff This, the first book in the series, centers on the life of Bluford sophomore Darcy Wills. Darcy contends with the return of her long-absent father, the troubling behavior of her younger sister Jamee, and the beginning of her first relationship.
2 A Matter of Trust 2002 Anne Schraff Amid jealousy and competition, Darcy fights for her relationship with Hakeem Randall and struggles with her fears over her own family's future.
3 Secrets in the Shadows 2002 Anne Schraff Roylin Bailey, a Bluford sophomore who appears in A Matter of Trust. Roylin makes a terrible mistake: He steals money to buy a gift for the girl of his dreams and finds himself in a nightmare he cannot escape.
4 Someone to Love Me 2002 Anne Schraff Cindy struggles with a stormy relationship with her mother, ongoing trouble at school, a dangerous boyfriend, and worse. Will her fragile family survive?
5 The Bully 2002 Paul Langan Darrell and his mother move to the Bluford area in the middle of the school year. Physically smaller than his peers, Darrell quickly becomes a target for Tyray Hobbs, the freshman class bully.
6 The Gun/Payback[10] 2002 Paul Langan The sequel to The Bully, this book is about Bluford freshman Tyray Hobbs, the tormentor of Darrell Mercer. The tale traces Tyray's troubled home life, his desire to rebuild his reputation, and his quest to get revenge on Darrell, the only boy who ever stood up to him.
7 Until We Meet Again 2002 Anne Schraff Sequel to A Matter of Trust, this story continues the tale of the Wills family. Darcy learns that Hakeem, her first boyfriend, is moving out of the state. Then her grandmother's health declines and a mysterious new person comes into her life.
8 Blood is Thicker 2004 Paul Langan and D.M. Blackwell This sequel to Until We Meet Again follows the story of Hakeem Randall after his move to Detroit. Far from Bluford High, Hakeem quickly finds himself in a world of trouble, and his family is at the center of it. To complicate matters, a new girl hopes to make him forget Darcy forever.
9 Brothers in Arms 2004 Paul Langan and Ben Alirez Martin Luna, a new student at Bluford High, is at the center of this story. Haunted by the tragic death of his little brother, Martin seeks one thing: revenge. But his mother wants more for her only remaining child. Will Martin listen to her, or will he allow anger to control him?
10 Summer of Secrets 2004 Paul Langan Darcy Wills is at the center of this tale, a sequel to Until We Meet Again. Darcy hides a painful secret from her friends and family. Yet others, including her parents and her childhood friend, are keeping secrets of their own. When the truth finally surfaces, Darcy's entire world is turned upside down forever.
11 The Fallen 2007 Paul Langan This sequel to Brothers in Arms picks up the story of Martin Luna as he struggles to rebuild his life after the death of his little brother. In trouble at Bluford High School for fighting, Martin faces an even bigger problem at home: Frankie, the most feared homeboy from his neighborhood, is hunting him.
12 Shattered 2007 Paul Langan This sequel to Summer of Secrets continues the story of Darcy Wills as she begins her junior year at Bluford High School. Eager to repair her relationship with her old boyfriend Hakeem, Darcy discovers that one of her biggest fears has come true. And worse: her closest friends have been secretly lying to her.
13 Search for Safety 2007 John Langan Search for Safety tells the story of Ben McKee, a new sophomore at Bluford High School. At home, Ben is living a nightmare. His mother has married Larry, an abusive man who wants nothing to do with his stepson. And when Larry loses his job and starts drinking, Ben finds himself—and his mother—in grave danger.
14 No Way Out 2009 Peggy Kern No Way Out follows Harold Davis, a Bluford freshman who has appeared in The Bully and Someone to Love Me. In this tale, Harold is trapped. Medical bills for his sick grandmother are piling up, and a social worker has threatened to put him in a foster home. Desperate for money, he reluctantly agrees to work for Londell James, a neighborhood drug dealer. The choice leads him into a world of dangerous streets where no one is safe. Will Harold escape the violence that surrounds him, or will he become its next victim?
15 Schooled 2009 Paul Langan In this book, Lionel Shepard, a freshman, is introduced. There’s no backing down for Lionel Shephard, a new freshman at Bluford High. With a dream of joining the NBA, all he wants to do at school is play basketball. But everyone’s trying to stop him. His father thinks basketball is a waste of time; his teachers don’t know he can barely read and threaten to fail him; and his dropout friend Jamar wants him to quit school. Unsure where to turn, Lionel must make a choice. Will he pursue his dream or get caught in a nightmare?
16 Breaking Point 2011 Karyn Langhorne Folan and Paul Langan Breaking Point follows the story of Vicky Fallon, a Bluford sophomore who appears in Brothers in Arms and The Fallen. In this story, Vicky can't take it. Her father has lost his job. Her parents are constantly fighting, and her troubled little brother is out of control. Once an honor student, Vicky is quickly falling behind in her classes at Bluford High. Now her teachers, friends, and her new boyfriend, Martin Luna, want answers. Pressured from all sides, Vicky knows something is about to snap. But the explosion that hits her home is worse than anything she could imagine.
17 The Test 2011 Peggy Kern Liselle Mason, a former Bluford student who first appeared in Until We Meet Again, is in trouble. For weeks, she ignored the changes in her body and tried to forget her brief relationship with Oscar Price, her moody classmate at Bluford High. But when Liselle's clothes stop fitting, and her brother notices her growing belly, she panics. A pregnancy test confirms her biggest fears. Unwilling to admit the truth, Liselle suddenly faces a world with no easy answers. Where will she turn? Who will she tell? What will she do?
18 Pretty Ugly 2011 Karyn Langhorne Folan This book follows Jamee Wills, the little sister of Darcy Wills, who has appeared in many titles including Lost and Found, A Matter of Trust, and Until We Meet Again. A freshman at Bluford High, Jamee never expected Vanessa Pierce and her friends to go this far. The trouble starts at cheerleading practice when Vanessa begins teasing Angel McAllister, a shy new girl at school. When the insults turn nasty, Jamee tried to stop them. She wins Angel's friendship but makes many enemies. Now Jamee is a target, and someone is texting lies and pictures of her all over Bluford. Unwilling to tell her family or snitch on her fellow cheerleaders, Jamee is cornered. Will her next move solve her problems---or make them worse?
19 Promises to Keep 2013 Paul Langan This book follows Tyray Hobbs after the events of The Gun. Once a feared bully, he’s become an outcast. At Bluford High, his peers taunt him for how he treated them. At home, his parents punish him for the trouble he’s caused. Unable to escape his reputation or his past, Tyray is desperate. And when an unlikely friendship develops, he clings to it like a lifeline. Now that connection is threatened, and Tyray faces his toughest decision yet. Will his next move lead him to ruin or redemption—or both?
20 Survivor 2013 Paul Langan This book follows Tarah Carson, a character who has appeared in many Bluford novels but never as the protagonist. Tarah has hidden a secret for years. No one—not her mother, her friends at Bluford High, or even her boyfriend, Cooper Hodden—knows what her uncle did to her years ago. Tarah hoped to keep it that way. But an upcoming reunion is forcing Tarah’s past into the present. And Uncle Rudy, the man who scarred her for life, is returning. Haunted by memories, Tarah plans to avoid him at all costs. But when her decision threatens to cause even more suffering in her family, she must face her past and biggest fear—alone.
21 Girls Like Me 2016 Tanya Savory This book explores the backstory of Angel McAllister, a character who first appears in Pretty Ugly. Angel's worst nightmare has come true. Her best friend, Sharice Bell, has discovered her most intimate secret. And a new enemy, LaDonna Burns, is on the warpath. Gossip and rumors are spreading through school like wildfire, and Angel’s classmates are turning on her. Can she bury the secret and put out the flames? Or will Angel face the truth—and its life-changing consequences?

Reading order of the series

Year 1

The Darcy Wills and Classmates Sequence:

  1. Lost and Found
  2. A Matter of Trust
  3. Secrets in the Shadows
  4. Until We Meet Again
  5. Blood Is Thicker
  6. Summer of Secrets
  7. Shattered
  8. Survivor

The Martin Luna Sequence:

  1. Brothers in Arms
  2. The Fallen
  3. Breaking Point

Year 2

The Jamee Wills and Classmates Sequence:

  1. Girls Like Me
  2. Pretty Ugly
  3. Schooled
  4. Someone to Love Me
  5. The Bully
  6. The Gun (Payback)
  7. Promises to Keep
  8. No Way Out
  9. The Test
  10. Search for Safety

References

  1. ↑ Allen, C. Ron. NOVEL IDEA: PROGRAM GIVES STUDENTS AN INCENTIVE TO READ South Florida Sun - Sentinel. Nov 17, 2004
  2. ↑ How a book club for reluctant readers proved the naysayers wrong. School Library Journal
  3. ↑ Grades 5 & Up School Library Journal
  4. ↑ 2012 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers ALA
  5. ↑ 2009 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers ALA
  6. ↑ 2012 Popular Paperback ALA
  7. ↑ Mobley, Amber. Book series creates reading craze Tampa Bay Times. April 16, 2007
  8. ↑ Behind Books for Urban Students, an Unlikely Author New York Times
  9. ↑ Blasingame, James. "Reviews-Books for Adolescents." Journal of Adolescents & Adult Literacy. December 2004. p. 4
  10. ↑ MultiCultural review. Volume 16, Issues 1-4. GP Subscription Publications, 2007.
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