A Review of 'Give a Boy a Gun' by Todd Strasser

“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.”

I’m going through my Shelfari shelf and finding books that really stuck with me to review. Just in case you’re perplexed as to how I’m coming out with so many reviews in such a short span of time.

The format of this book was quite different than anything I’ve ever read. It’s set up as a series of quotes from all of these kids and the parents/teachers of these kids that attend the same school. At first, I was confused as to which parts connected to which… I reread a few parts a couple times, but I eventually got it.

Something cool about this book were the facts in the foot notes of the pages. They were interesting, shocking, thought-provoking…

When you put everything together, you get a story that makes your heart thud with fear. Even though you don’t get to know the characters as you would in a typical novel, you still feel for them. These are young kids (high school) and they are in a kind of danger most of us will never have to experience. You feel scared for them because, having never been in a situation such as this, you aren’t sure who’s going to snap first.

I give this book: