Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Kevin Ross, known as Kross to his friends, has been called a hero in his hometown and beyond. But can the seemingly innocent decision to remove a couple of magnetic ribbons from the back of his ugly, brown used car catapult his hero status to that of hated enemy? You bet it can!

Kevin happened to be at the right place at the wrong time for a serial killer called The Surgeon. For potential teen victim and classmate Leah, it was a case of the right place at the right time. Since saving Leah from certain death, Kevin can't look anywhere in town without seeing his name and hers linked on "thank you" signs and congratulations of all kinds. People can't seem to be able to do enough for Kevin, and they watch anxiously as he appears on TV and waits to collect a reward for his heroism.

All this praise and excitement is confusing for Kevin. He has long had a crush on Leah and relishes the attention she is now giving him; however, there are several secrets in Kevin's life that cast a shadow on all this positive attention. One secret is his father's mysterious military history in the Gulf War. Even when Kevin's mother still lived with them, the subject of his father's military service was off limits. The other secret is Kevin's own guilt for some event that actually placed him with Leah in the alley at the time of the killer's attack.

On the day Kevin pulled into the driveway with his new, used car, his father angrily demanded that the "support our troops" ribbons be removed immediately. When Kevin innocently explains that the local car dealer had slapped them on as he drove out of the used car lot, his father still insists they need to go. Unfortunately for Kevin, a news reporter still following the local hero witnesses the removal of the ribbons. This news is interpreted as "un-patriotic" behavior, and it unleashes the fury of a town proud of its patriot values.

As Kevin battles the public, who days before spoke of his heroic deed, he learns more about his parents' divorce, his mother's decision to move to California, and his father's struggles in the Gulf War. Readers can watch as Kevin learns the true meaning of patriotism and the freedoms we all take for granted. His story is especially intriguing in this time of political turmoil and tension.

Author Barry Lyga clearly demonstrates the division that can be created by different interpretations of what it means to support one's patriot beliefs. ( )

Kevin Cross is a hero because he saves a girl from almost certain death at the hands of a serial killer, but he doesn't feel like one because he was up to nefarious intent at the time. In the wake of the attention he gets for saving the girl, Leah, he gets negative attention for a number of other actions. And it may in the end be these other less popular actions that really earn him the title of hero. ( )

I liked this book. Lyga provides readers with a look at a complex teen character who struggles with everyday issues and his perception of ideals. Although the book does take on a lot of issues, it was aq good read for me, because I liked Kevin Ross, his friends and the complexities of his character. Lyga's writing is clever, humorous and thought provoking and provides readers with a complex real teen character. ( )

Cross's parents have split up. His mom moved across the country with his younger brother, and he stayed with his dad. In this third book set in South Brook High, Lyga tells of a boy who saves a girl's life, is celebrated as a hero, and then earns the scorn of the entire town for removing patriotic ribbons from his car. He believes he deserves the scorn more than the hero-worship, but not because of the ribbons. ( )

When Kevin accidentally rescues a classmate from a serial killer, he becomes a town hero and receives a free car from the mayor. But when he is photographed removing the yellow ribbons from his new car, he goes from heroic to unpatriotic in a second. ( )