Review: These Courageous Students Work Together To Bring Awareness and Prevention to Stop School Violence
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 5, 2013
A gang fight that leads to a student stabbing becomes the next story with the Live! News students.  This unexpected violence raises all sorts of questions both for students and faculty on how safe their high school really is.  Izzy witnesses the whole scenario while trying to grab leftover food from the cafeteria and he is impacted more than the other students because of what he sees.  His sensitive nature makes him determined not just to protect his friends and fellow classmates, but his younger sisters as well.This time the main group to cover the story is Darby, Izzy, Julie, Sarah and Shane.  Some of the issues covered in the plot are racism, prejudice, safety in group dating, violence, and how to make solutions to the ongoing problem of violence both in the community as well as in the media.  These students are not timid about asking controversial questions and getting to the heart of the matter.  Even though a student does get stabbed, there is nothing graphic within the story.  One man arrives in a clinic with a gunshot wound, one other student pulls a knife but no one is injured, one student has a complete shift in character and becomes likable, and the news students get more opportunities to bring awareness and change within the school so that prevention/common sense are used to bring healing.  The double danger title illustrates that violence is dangerous physically but also for the soul because people harden their emotions when exposed to violence often enough or can seem unaffected by it.Both sides of the argument are considered throughout the story and the Live! Brentwood staff gets to learn that it's never too early or too late to make a difference.  School counseling is made available for students who have questions or need someone to talk to and even though some do get discouraged for different reasons, they stick together to help one another and work to get the story developed instead of running away from the problem.  Violence in schools does exist and tragedies occur, but I believe this book boldly and accurately deals with the issue overall so that teens can respond with hope instead of despair.  I really like the updated cover to this book, brilliantly done!I want to thank the author and Litfuse Publicity Group for the free review copy I received. The opinions expressed are my own.