Tagged

By Eric Walters

The city is cracking down on graffiti and guerilla art. Between that and cutbacks to the local art gallery it seems like nothing is safe. But Oswald, masquerading as a graffiti artist known as The Wiz, is fighting back—by painting elaborate murals in public places and planting art in the galleries, and then by taking on the mayor himself. As the fight escalates and the stakes become higher, Oswald gets in deeper than he meant to and needs to rely on his friends to get him out of his latest mess.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
• Release date: Apr 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781459801691

Eric Walters

Eric Walters is a Member of the Order of Canada and the author of over 125 books that have collectively won more than 100 awards including the Governor General’s Literary Award for The King of Jam Sandwiches. A former teacher, Eric began writing as a way to get his fifth-grade students interested in reading and writing. Eric is a tireless presenter, speaking to over 100,000 students per year in schools across the country. He lives in Guelph, Ontario.

Reviews for Tagged

[dairyqueen84 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Best friends Ian, Julia, and Oswald go to view some mural-size graffiti with the tag Wiz and they begin to debate the difference between art and graffiti. While Julia admits the artwork is good she asks why don’t you see graffiti-type art in museums. More of the artwork poking fun at the law and order mayor appears around town, even turning up in one of the art museums. Astute readers will discover the identity of Wiz before Ian and Julia do, but the feel-good ending will please most readers. Meant for reluctant readers, it is a fun read.

[rachel.seltz · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ages 13-18.Oswald, Ian, and Julia are best friends taking an interest in the mysterious career of “The Wiz,” a street artist whose murals are popping up all over the city. The mayor calls street art vandalism, and is cracking down on it in an attempt to draw in more businesses. When the Wiz starts commenting on the mayor’s policies in his art, the mayor comes after him. The Wiz will need some help getting out of this trouble.Tagged encourages readers to think about how art can be more than what is framed on a wall, and how it expresses social and political commentary. The friends engage in lively debates about the role of art in public spaces, exploring multiple perspectives. Though the novel explores art’s relationship to politics, parties are not explicitly mentioned. Readers are given a sense of the mayor’s business-before-art priorities, but the point of the novel is respecting the power of teen leadership. Each of the three friends has a clever role in the solution. A Hi-Lo book, Tagged captures teen interest but is accessible for those reading at a third grade level. There is whitespace and large enough font to support emergent readers, without the text feeling babyish. Vocabulary words that may be unfamiliar, such as “stencil” or “portfolio,” are explained in dialogue without disrupting the flow.Tagged was inspired by the street artist Banksy and is dedicated to “Deadboy,” a real life street artist responding to Toronto mayor Tom Ford’s “war on graffiti.” A great pick for idealistic teens who know they aren’t too young to have ideas that matter, challenge authority, or to make a difference in their community. Recommended.