Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Ebully

Title: Ebully
Author: Dave Conifer
Standalone
Number of Pages: 188
Date Read: 10/8/13
Genre: Realistic Fiction, Bullies



Synopsis (Found on Goodreads.com)

Vice Principal Steve Lukather is desperate. Just like last year, an internet bully is terrorizing one of his students at Lakeland Middle School. Last time it ended badly when the victim was found with two slashed wrists after an attempted suicide. This year, after a series of nasty computer messages and an indiscreet photograph of Carly Gillette spread through the student body Lukather knows it's happening again. This time he's determined to stop the bully in his tracks before Gillette ends up reaching for a razor blade.

Thirteen-year-old Scott Halifax has a juvy rap sheet that could peel wallpaper but he's just what Lukather needs -- a street-smart, tech-savvy kid with no roots. Lukather makes a deal with Halifax: go undercover as a student at Lakeland and nail the bully in return for a ticket out of the County Detention Center and a clean slate.

Once he's in at Lakeland Halifax teams up with Tom Seidel, the nerdy kid that everyone loves to hate. It isn't long before Scott, Tom and Carly’s best friend Lisa are working together. It takes a lot of hard work, some sly computer sleuthing and a little dumb luck before they expose the bully. And it’s the last person that anybody would have suspected.


My Review:

This book was ok. 

This book is about a girl Carly being bullied through the internet and text messages. Embarrassing pictures of her were also send to cell phones to everyone in her school. Carly became depressed. The Vice principal of the school recruited/hired Scott who is basically lives in a juvie type center and is a kid criminal. Scott is hired to go undercover in Carly's school to catch the bully in exchanged for a clean slate. A few other kids get involved to help Scott.

I think this book is a case of a good idea that was not executed that well. For me the age of the teenagers makes everything a bit unrealistic. Everyone is 13 years old. Its just unrealistic. A vice principal HIRES a juvenile delinquent to go UNDERCOVER in his school to find a bully and no one cares. I mean really? And in exchange the THIRTEEN year old boy gets a FREE CLEAN SLATE that no one seems to know where or why he gets it? It just doesn't make sense. I mean if the teens were older or if an actual I don't know COP was put undercover then it'd make more sense. It just seemed like the deal that was made between the vice principal and Scott was like a deal made with a murderer and the D.A. Oh and not to mention the fact that the vice principle even said that he's not sure what he's doing is legal. So its not legal and an ADMINISTRATOR of a school building with children in it is allowing and hell even seeking this out. Um no. I just think that this is something that should have been considered by the author. 


There characters were ok. You don;t really learn too much about them aside from the personalities that show when you just meet people. Scott is the bad boy with a record and is generally a nice guty. Tom is the weird nerdy computer whiz. Lisa is Carly's best friend who is the popular pretty cheerleader type girl. Carly is the all around the nice girl next door type who is getting bullied. Basic school stereotypes. I didn't hate any of the characters but I didn't love any of them either. 


The ending was cray though. Not crazy action or anything but crazy as in who was bullying Carly and why. Also the very end is something unexpected. I didn't like how the book ended because you get this unexpected thing and then bam it just ends. I was like really? There is also no sequel to the book so it just ends with lots of questions. 


I do appreciate the author writing about such a big thing that is going on in schools which is bullying and this story may be good for kids who are 12 or 13 to learn about bullying. 


Rating:




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