Shooter

Rating:
Summary: Readers see it all...
Review: Ever since Columbine, perhaps before, the public has been aware of the potential for violence in youths. In Shooter, we get a glimpse of the aftermath of a similiar incident. In what is termed a cult shooting, two boys are killed, one of them as a result of suicide, one murder. Six other students are injured. Police and psychologists are left with the task of reconstructing what was going on in the minds of those involved. Their assessments focus on two students, a young black boy who was the best friend of the suicide victim, and the girlfriend of the suicide victim. Both are a mix of anger, confusion, and hurt that cries out for love. Both are too old to be so young.

***** Readers sit in on the interviews with these two and are given a peak into police records, news articles, and reports. It is a harsh, grim, bleak read; but very insightful and telling. Although billed as a teen book, parents should exercise caution due to the darkness of the subject matter. However, adults might benefit from reading it, so as to get an insight into the world that their children are exposed to and may be part of if they are not careful. *****

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore.

Rating:
Summary: A MUST READ FOR TEENS AND THEIR PARENTS
Review: The story is about violence and the characters are disturbing, but this book has an interesting way of reaching its audience and getting the message across. _Shooter_ is about a school shooting. The set up is unique. It reads like an investigation with statements, interviews, a diary, and written conclusions. The story is both depressing and compelling. It's the kind of book teens will pass on to each other and hopefully share with their parents.

The actors of the audio version are Chad Coleman, Bernie McInerney, and Michelle Santopietro. They do a superb job of bringing the troubled teens and the investigation to life.

Rating:
Summary: A haunting, powerful read
Review: Walter Dean Myers, author of the Michael L. Printz Award-winning MONSTER and many other acclaimed children's books, has done it again. Told from multiple perspectives in the aftermath of a high school shooting, Myers's latest effort SHOOTER tells the haunting story of three misfit teens.

Through a series of interviews, newspaper clippings and the diary of a troubled teen, the story unfolds. The reader learns about the shooter, Leonard, through in-depth interviews with his best friend Cameron and his ex-girlfriend Carla. Conducted by a school psychologist, an FBI agent, a threat analysis specialist and the town sheriff, the meetings demonstrate the different voices of the characters and reveal the teens' angst and desire to belong to a group.

Leonard assumes the role of leader with his friends. He introduces them to guns and brings them to the Patriots' target shooting club. Cameron and Carla are so needy for companionship that they don't see how disturbed Leonard truly is. They don't know the extent of his inner demons until it is too late. Leonard shows up at school one day with his guns and goes on a shooting spree, killing Brad, a jock and source of constant torment, and then himself.

SHOOTER is a haunting story that uncovers the pain of several high school students. It explores the tragedies of school violence and how the result of bullying can go to the most dramatic extreme. Myers has a gift for expressing the voices of his characters. Through every word, pause and breath in these interviews, we gather understanding. The excerpt from Leonard's diary, or as he calls it, "die-ary," reveals the twisted mind of the force behind the event. Parts of the diary are almost poetic, a technique common in Myers's writing. SHOOTER is not a light read, but it will leave you reeling.

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