Give a Boy a Gun

Title: Give a Boy a Gun
Author: Todd Strasser
Published: Aug 2000
ISBN: 0689811128
Price: 16.00
Genre: realistic fiction
Reading Level: 5th grade
Interest Level: 7-12th grade
Awards: 
Plot Summary: Gary and Brendan attend Middletown High and are the victim of relentless bullying. The football players are especially cruel and no one seems to care what they do as long as they win the game. Well Gary and Brendan have had enough, they don't want to be the victim anymore. The boys are plotting revenge and they can't wait to make everyone pay. They decide that on the day of a school dance to come in, barricade the doors and hold everyone hostage. They have especially cruel plans for one particular football player Sam. He had been the cause of much of the bullying and they wanted him to pay. They planned to have him die slowly and painfully. They had everything planned, they had booby trapped the doors to explode if anyone tried to get out and even wrote their own suicide notes. What they didn't plan for was Emily. Why was Emily there?
Review: Todd Strasser tackles a big issues, school shootings. There are many ways he could have written this book but his multi-view point style makes this story standout. The story is told through different viewpoints, interviews, text messages and news articles. I thought this might make the story confusing or too scattered but instead this really showed the different emotions and feelings happening during the shooting. The one aspect I did find distracting was the footnotes during the story. I wanted to read the information because it was very interesting but I felt it took me out of the story. I think you almost have to read the footnotes afterwards instead of trying to read them as you read the story. The information at the back of the story was also very powerful. To see the shootings that happened while he was writing the story and the brief history of school shootings was sobering. The story really acts as a talking point or a way to open up dialogue about these issues of violence, bullying and gun control. Strasser doesn't offer answers but instead poses questions about how America handle's these problems. Though it is obvious that Strasser supports gun control since the back of the book states that portions of the profits from the book go to support gun control.
Reader's Annotation: Gary and Brendan are what you would call outcasts and they are the victims of bullying. But no one expected they would seek revenge with guns.
Bibliotherapeutic usefulness: This story not only gives insight into the thoughts and feelings of the school shooters but the victims as well. Strasser provides a wealth of information on gun violence and school shootings that might make readers stop and think about how we interact with people and how we deal with guns in society. Sadly, school shootings are something that effects teens, whether it happens at their school or they hear about it on TV, these tragedies effect us all. This story provides a way to open up dialogue and perhaps start to think about solutions.
Issues: The book touches on a very controversial topic of school shootings and gun control. There are many that feel gun control is not the answer and would feel that this book is anti-gun, therefore treading on second amendment rights. The story also depicts violence, especially in the case of Sam who they shoot in the knee caps. There is also the issue that Strasser tries to make Gary and Brendan seem human and at times they come across as the victims, which may upset some people. They may feel that the story glorifies what the boys did or that we shouldn't feel sorry for people who commit violent acts like this.
Book Talk Ideas: For the book talk I think I would read snippets of the story, some of the eyewitness accounts. I could also list some of the most recent shooting tragedies to highlight this issue and it's relevancy today.
Main Themes: school shootings, bullying, violence
Read-alikes: Endgame by Nancy Farmer, Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia
Author Website: 
Professional Reviews: Publisher's Weekly
Kirkus Reviews
Why this book was chosen: The book was written over 10 years ago but it still feels very timely and current. The issues in this book have not gone away and in the wake of such tragedies like Newtown this book is even more relevant. Also, Strasser way of handling the material is unique and I think it really shows the story in a new way.