Synopses & Reviews
Two teens try to save a class of first-graders from a gun-wielding soldier suffering from PTSD
When high school seniors Emery and Jake are taken hostage in the classroom where they tutor, they must work together to calm both the terrified children and the psychotic gunman threatening them--a task made even more difficult by their recent break-up. Brian Stutts, a soldier suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in Iraq, uses deadly force when he's denied access to his son because of a custody battle. The children's fate is in the hands of the two teens, each recovering from great loss, who now must reestablish trust in a relationship damaged by betrayal. Told through Emery and Jake's alternating viewpoints, this gripping novel features characters teens will identify with and explores the often-hidden damages of war.
Review
* "Both haunting and harrowing, the book deserves a wide readership, discussion and debate."—Booklist, starred review
Review
“A disturbing and provocative novel.”—KLIATT
Review
"Vivid, distressing, and all too real…The multiple points of view create empathy for a wide range of characters and enhance the book's in-your-face reality. Important, insightful, and chilling."—Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Fast-paced, suspenseful thriller. . . . The hours-long standoff comes to a dramatic and violent climax. . . . A vividly depicted and gripping tragedy."
Synopsis
For as long as they can remember, Brendan and Gary have been mercilessly teased and harassed by the jocks who rule Middletown High. But not anymore. Stealing a small arsenal of guns from a neighbor, they take their classmates hostage at a school dance. In the panic of this desperate situation, it soon becomes clear that only one thing matters to Brendan and Gary: revenge.
Synopsis
The horrors of teen violence are explored in this eye-opening novel through the lens of one shattering event where two armed students hold terrified classmates and teachers hostage in a school gym.
Synopsis
The horrors of teen violence is explored in this eye-opening novel through the lens of one shattering event where two armed students hold terrified classmates and teachers hostage in a school gym. Facts about teen gun use and school violence add counterpoint to this selection.
Synopsis
In this devastating novel, a school shooting shatters lives on both sides of the gun. Told from the point of view of of fourteen-year-old Gray Wilton, who killed four students at his high school, as he awaits his murder trial.
Synopsis
“A hard-hitting and eloquent look at the impact of bullying." -
School Library Journal New town, new school, new start. Thats what fourteen-year-old Gray Wilton believes. But it doesnt take long for him to realize that there are bullies in every school, and hes always their punching bag. Their abuses escalate until Gray feels trapped and alone. He has no power at all until he enters the halls of Greenford High School with his fathers semiautomatic in hand. Nancy Garden deftly explores the cruelty of bullying and its devastating effects. In this brutal, heartbreaking story, a school shooting shatters lives on both sides of the gun.
About the Author
Todd Strasser has written many critically acclaimed novels for adults, teenagers, and children, including the award-winning andlt;iandgt;Canand#8217;t Get There from Hereandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;Give a Boy a Gunandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;Boot Campandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;If I Grow Upandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;Famousandlt;/iandgt;, and andlt;iandgt;How I Created My Perfect Prom Dateandlt;/iandgt;, which became the Fox feature film andlt;iandgt;Drive Me Crazyandlt;/iandgt;. Todd lives in a suburb of New York and speaks frequently at schools. Visit him at ToddStrasser.com.