Endgame
Grade 8 Up Fifteen-year-old Gray Wilton is in juvenile detention, waiting for his murder trial. In a series of interviews, his defense lawyer slowly uncovers the gradual escalation of physical and emotional bullying that drove the sensitive, musically artistic kid to the point where he takes a gun to school and starts shooting. Reading the unfolding story is like watching a train wreck in slow motion: the tension is palpable, as is the sense of inevitable tragedy. Gray begins a new school year in a new town, hoping that the bullying he suffered in middle school will be a thing of the past. Almost immediately, he discovers that there are bullies at Greenford High, and they don't take long to find him. Teachers and administrators turn a blind eye to the harassment that he and his only friend, Ross Terrel, suffer at the hands of Zorro and the other ruling jocks. Constant hazing turns into ugly incidents of physical violence. The final blows come when Zorro and his buddies, during a joy ride, hit and kill Gray's dog, and then try to force Ross and Gray to perform oral sex in the gym showers. The ending provides an emotional punch that is difficult to forget. This is a hard-hitting and eloquent look at the impact of bullying, and the resulting destruction of lives touched by the violence. It reinforces the need to have adults in the lives of teens who not only see, but also take action against the behavior. Libraries that own Walter Dean Myers'sShooter(HarperCollins, 2004) or Todd Strasser'sGive a Boy a Gun(S & S, 2000) will want to add this book as it provides an emotional depth that exceeds that of previous titles.Jennifer Ralston, Harford County Public Library, Belcamp, MDCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.