Skud

July 1, 2003
Gr 9 Up-When seniors Brad and Tommy suspect Andy of stealing Tommy's girlfriend, they decide to make him pay by beating him up and humiliating him. Unfortunately for them, Shane, a notorious gang member, shows up and claims to be Andy's backup. This unlikely pair forms a tenuous friendship when Shane agrees to help Andy "punk up" for an acting part. Brad runs into subsequent trouble on the hockey team and Tommy, an honor student and school hero, is arrested for raping his former girlfriend. Foon has created this novel from a play he wrote in 1994 by expanding each character's part and alternating chapters among the teens. Readers will respond to the brutality and intensity felt throughout these story threads, and the bully theme rings loud and clear with anyone who has set foot in a high school. The book's small trim size and eye-catching cover should make it an easy sell to reluctant readers.-Lynn Evarts, Sauk Prairie High School, Prairie du Sac, WI

Copyright 2003 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.