Synopses & Reviews
A new town, a new school, a new start. That's what fifteen-year-old Gray Wilton believes as he chants his mantra,
It's gonna be better, gonna be better here. But things don't go as Gray had hoped. He quickly learns that there are bullies in every school, and for some reason they latch on to him his very first week at Greenford High School. Their brutal words and hurtful actions escalate, and Gray feels trapped in a world where he has no control, no support systems, no way out.
The teachers turn their heads--boys will be boys; the students laugh--glad they're not the ones being picked on; and even Gray's father is unsympathetic to his torture--you need to toughen up, son. One by one, Gray's escapes are taken away...first his beloved drums, then his dog, and finally his only friend...until Gray feels pushed beyond control. Until that fateful day when he decides that he will show them all that he's not a wuss and enters the school with his father's semi-automatic.
In the blink of an eye, lives are shattered throughout the community of Greenford because one boy was pushed to the breaking point. With power and outrage, Nancy Garden questions where to place the blame...on the students, on the teachers and administration, on the parents...and ultimately on Gray Wilton himself.
Review
"A coming-of-age tale with suspense as well as substance."—Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
A new town, a new school, a new start. That's what fourteen-year-old Gray Wilton believes as he chants,
"It's gonna be better, gonna be better here." But it doesn't take long for Gray to realize that nothing's going to change--there are bullies in every school, and he's always their punching bag. Their brutal words, physical abuse, and emotional torture escalate until Gray feels trapped in a world where he has no control, no support systems, and no way out--until the day he enters the halls of Greenford High School with his father's semiautomatic in hand.
Award-winning novelist Nancy Garden, author of the groundbreaking novel Annie on My Mind, once again goes out on a limb, this time to show readers the cruelty of bullying and the devastating effects it can have.
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.
Synopsis
A school shooting shatters lives on either side of the gun
Synopsis
Best friends Eddie and Alex take their usual trip up to the mountains to escape the pressures of family and school. But when Eddie disappears, Alex finds himself caught up in the adult world of suspicion, guilt, and grief.
Synopsis
The image of Eddie jumping over the mountain side plays and replays in Alex's mind: the last sight of his best friend, Eddie Chavez. Ditching school, the two had biked to the mountains where they often went to escape the pressures of family and school. Now Eddie has disappeaered and Alex can't find him. Alex goes for help, but finds only suspicion as police and social workers barrage him with questions. They think Eddie ran away or worse--that Alex killed him. Alex is sure Eddie is still on the mountain, injured, maybe even dead. As the situation grows beyond Alex's control, the one who came back regrets that he did.
About the Author
NANCY GARDEN (1938-2014) was the acclaimed author of Annie on My Mind, one of the first young adult novels to portray a lesbian relationship. She also wrote Endgame and three dozen other novels in a writing career that spanned several generations. She lived in Massachusetts.