Tag: school shooting story

REVIEW: The Lost Things Club by J. S. Puller

REVIEW: The Lost Things Club by J. S. Puller

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free print review copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Every summer, Leah travels an hour south to Chicago to stay with her aunt and uncle for three weeks while her mother travels for work. It’s usually a fun trip filled with sights to see for Leah and her younger cousin, TJ. But this summer is going to be different. Leah’s mom has already warned her that TJ is different this year. Ever since the school shooting, TJ has stopped talking.

Leah is stunned by the difference in TJ since she last saw him just a few months ago. But they’ve always been close. She’s convinced she can get through to him, help him when no one else has been able to.

But the surprise of the change in TJ is nothing compared to Leah’s discovery that 8-year-old TJ is sneaking out of the house at night and walking to a laundromat. He’s even talking to a stranger,  a man he sees every night when he sneaks out on his nightly jaunt.

Leah has to wonder what is so special, so important, for TJ to sneak out. And why he seems like his old self there with strangers rather than at home with his family.

Review

This second novel by the author of the incredible Captain Superlative is a lovely story about family and friendship, trauma and triumph. I adored Leah. While she looks for answers to TJ’s silence at home and his engagement at an area laundromat – the eventual home of the Lost Things Club – she’s also trying to find her niche, her identity, what makes her special. I liked how this broadened her story. TJ is still the focus, but this is another layer to the story that most readers will be able to connect to.

I was impressed by how the story dealt with a really serious topic – a school shooting and TJ’s story of what happened that day – in a kid-appropriate way. Every piece – from TJ’s parents’ desperation to Leah’s thoughtful observations and questions to TJ’s need for the Land of Lost Things to be real – felt true and honest while at the same time never feeling like “too much.” Especially for readers who will be in 3rd or 4th grade (or higher).

I imagine some sensitive readers might struggle with the seriousness of the story, but I think that most kids will feel like Leah – an outside observer who loves TJ and wants to understand him. And I think those readers will be caught up in the eventual solution. Don’t miss this one! (TW: grief and loss, references to a school shooting, but no description of the event itself. Mostly focuses on the impact of the event.)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

REVIEW: Parkland Speaks edited by Sarah Lerner

REVIEW: Parkland Speaks edited by Sarah Lerner

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from the publisher, Penguin Random House/Crown Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

On February 14, 2018, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School became a tragic addition to the gun violence statistics in America. At the end of the school day on that Valentine’s Day, a teen gunman pulled a fire alarm to expose students and staff to his shooting rampage, and 17 people died.

In response, some of the students have chosen to speak out, march and prod politicians to action. There are two other books from the survivors, We Say #Never Again: Reporting by the Parkland Student Journalists and #Never Again: A New Generation Draws the Line. Now there is a third, Parkland Speaks: Survivors from Marjory Stoneman Douglas Share Their Stories.

Parkland Speaks is a collection of poems, essays, pictures and drawings from the survivors at MSD High School about their experiences on Valentine’s Day last year and the days that followed.

Proceeds from the sales of this book will go to Shine MSD Inc. to support victims’ families and encourage community recovery through the arts.

Review

This is a moving, powerful and sad record of the Parkland Massacre and the aftermath.  It’s hard to read what students and staff went through that day. But it’s also vitally important that we read and know and remember. It’s the only way things have a chance to change.

Like with any collection, each reader will connect with different entries. I really engaged with the entries from students and teachers who were in the building where the shooting happened. I was heart broken at the stories of high school relationships cut short when a person who was joking around at the start of the day didn’t make it out of the building. These are names to those of us on the outside, but they were people – friends, family, mentors, colleagues – to the survivors.

Gun violence and gun rights are issues fraught with strong emotions and strong opinions. But our children are dying – and it’s time to engage in the conversation so things can change for the future. This book is a great starting point for those conversations.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: That's Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger

REVIEW: That’s Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Three years ago on March 15, there was a shooting at Virgil County High School. Nine people were killed. Six students survived their encounter with the shooter.

The story is that Lee’s best friend, Sarah, died proclaiming her faith to the shooter. Lee was with Sarah when she died. And she knows Sarah never talked to him. However that rumor got started, the faith community in Virgil County, and Sarah’s parents are really attached to the story of Sarah’s martyrdom. In fact, Sarah’s parents are writing a book about Sarah. And they plan to include the story about the shooting in the book.

Lee loved Sarah like a sister. She can’t stomach the thought that the thing everyone wants to remember about her best friend is a lie. Sarah should be remembered as she really was.

So Lee asks the other survivors to write up their experiences from the shooting. Not everyone is eager to dig deeper into their memories of that awful day. And one of the six has left town and doesn’t want to be found. But her story is the one people need to hear most of all.

Review

Wow! This was stunningly good. I loved the emphasis on the survivors and the aftermath of the shooting. Most of the active shooter stories I have read have focused on the event itself. The focus here was on how the survivors are dealing with the trauma. I’m fascinated by the research the author must have done. I can’t help but think of the kids who have experienced a real school shooting this year and how they might be coping or struggling.

The hook for me was the martyrdom piece of this. The story started innocently, but the people were so attached to that narrative, they became awfully un-Christian to anyone who questioned it. This whole piece of the story was captivating.

As Lee pursued the whole story from all of the survivors, she also had to wrestle with WHY she needed to know. What was she willing to risk to have the whole story? What were the others willing to risk to share their truth? This would be an amazing book club book – for teens or for adults. SO many great details and characters to discuss. I highly recommend this book!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥