Caroline Pignat

A powerful, gripping book about a group of students in the middle of a school shooting. The author deftly handles multiple viewpoints and brings to light issues of parental pressure, loss, responsibility, and more. And I think it's a testament to her characterization that the most page-turning part of the book is the characters themselves. I mean, for most of the book, the characters are barricaded in a school bathroom with much of the action going on external to them... and that just ramps show more up the sense of claustrophobia and interpersonal conflict. show less

The talent of the writing style still shines through (someone called it "lilt" and that is a very apt word to describe her style). However, while it wandered through many historical situations and Mick, bless his heart, was all you could want, the plotline soon reached ridiculous proportions as far as Tom and his brother were concerned. Really? I mean really! Back in the day it was a round-the-world, yearlong journey across the ocean, fraught with peril and REALLY. It wouldn't have happened show more that way. Unhelpful complications that just strained the (already) taunt storyline. show less

Pignat triangulates the typical bullying story from three different perspectives: the bully, the bullied and the bystander. Will is that awkward kid. You know. The one who doesn't understand social cues. Who dresses weird. Who acts like an idiot without realising it. Katie is Will's friend, or at least the closest thing he has to one, but he doesn't make it easy. Devan is one of the gang of boys who follows Shane, the high school's prime 9th grade bully. Lewis gets on Shane and co's bully show more radar from day one when, in orientation, he is found in the middle of the gym, bent down staring intently at an ant. Katie tries to defend him, but no one else will come to his rescue. As the year progresses so does the bullying, until it reaches a tragic climax.

Written one part novel in verse for Will and in first person for both Katie and Devan, Pignat 's skillful, nuanced storytelling demonstrates how no situation is black and white. Everybody has a story we don't know about that influences the way we act. The storyline is simple and familiar, making it accessible to a young audience. However, never does Pignat let the moral of her story (which is a heady one and most definitely present) interfere with the development of her characters.

Katie is especially interesting as the bystander. She wants to help Will, but at the same time she is embarrassed by him and worried about her own reputation in the school. She doesn't always make the right choices though her heart is in the right place.

Egghead is a small but powerful book about bullying for about grade 5 to 7. I tried it with an older crowd and though they liked it, it wasn't sophisticated enough for them- the story was too typical (something that works for the younger audiences) and the moral too obvious. Still, it would be a great classroom conversation starter not only on the subject of bullying but also as an example of voice. show less

The 4 star subtitle "really liked it" definitely doesn't apply here. However the author has talent. I just wish that she would apply it to a less-depressing time-period. The characters are real with a brusque finesse that will turn traitor come the finish of the book. Although this isn't as emotionally devastating as Connie Willis's Doomsday Book, it still tears a bit at the soul...