What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that there is swearing, sexual
references, and teenage misbehavior, including drinking,
smoking, bullying, and cheating in school. Both main characters
threaten a school administrator with false sexual accusations
at different times. One main character has attempted suicide in
the past.
Families who read this book could discuss Donnie's situation at school. What would you do in his place? Do you know people who are treated this way? Does he do anything to deserve it? Also, kids may be interested in reading and/or creating graphic novels.
Common Sense Media Review
Give first-time novelist (and fanboy himself) Barry Lyga a
bonus point for not being predictable. The story gives all the
signs of heading for an operatically tragic ending, and then
doesn't go there. Any alert readers will be sure early on that
they know exactly where this book is headed. There's mad
telegraphing here -- the bullying, the loving relationship with
a bullet, the stepfather (step-facist) who keeps guns, the
violent fantasies, the isolation and lack of support. But take
the points away again for having an ending that just fizzles
out all of a sudden -- apparently he didn't have the courage to
follow his own foreshadowing.
Give him another point for enjoyably and wittily explicating comic-geek culture -- he shows real insight into and sardonic compassion for outsider teens. But then take away two for trying to turn the protagonists' really damaging behavior into a heroic stand against blustering adults. They both threaten to blackmail a cranky but harmless school sub-administrator with false charges of pedophilia.
No question that newbie-author Lyga has the writing chops and clearheaded understanding of adolescents to be a fine young adult novelist. He can write an over-the-top, cringe-worthy scene of teen humiliation with the best of them. But he will need to learn a few things about plotting -- such as how to follow his own setup, how to write an ending, and how to empower his heroes without resorting to the kind of manipulation that loses them any right to the reader's sympathy.
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
