Have you read THE KNIFE THAT KILLED ME?
What did you think?
Share your thoughts here...
The Knife That Killed Me
A stunning and contemporary new teenage novel from award-winning Anthony McGowan, winner of the Booktrust Teenage Prize.
Paul Varderman could be at any normal school - bullies, girls and annoying teachers are just a part of life. Unfortunately 'normal' doesn't apply when it comes to the school's most evil bully, Roth, a twisted and threatening thug with an agenda quite unlike anyone else. When Paul ends up delivering a message from Roth to the leader of a gang at a nearby school, it fuels a rivalry with immediate consequences. Paul attempts to distance himself from the feud, but when Roth hands him a knife it both empowers him and scares him at the same time . . .
This thought-provoking and original novel highlights the terrible consequences of peer pressure and violence, and casts a spotlight on the worrying rise in knife crime among teenagers.
Paul Varderman could be at any normal school - bullies, girls and annoying teachers are just a part of life. Unfortunately 'normal' doesn't apply when it comes to the school's most evil bully, Roth, a twisted and threatening thug with an agenda quite unlike anyone else. When Paul ends up delivering a message from Roth to the leader of a gang at a nearby school, it fuels a rivalry with immediate consequences. Paul attempts to distance himself from the feud, but when Roth hands him a knife it both empowers him and scares him at the same time . . .
This thought-provoking and original novel highlights the terrible consequences of peer pressure and violence, and casts a spotlight on the worrying rise in knife crime among teenagers.
Thursday, 8 January 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
. . . right here . . . right now.
A MORI survey for the Youth Justice Board found that:
- 29% of secondary school children, along with 57% of those excluded, admitted to routinely carrying knives.
- 1 in 5 sixteen-year-old boys attacking someone with a knife admit their intent to cause serious injury.
- Young males aged between fourteen and twenty-four are most likely to be a victim of knife crime.
This gripping and thought-provoking story highlights the terrible consequences of peer pressure,
and casts a spotlight on the worrying rise in knife crime among teenagers.
- 29% of secondary school children, along with 57% of those excluded, admitted to routinely carrying knives.
- 1 in 5 sixteen-year-old boys attacking someone with a knife admit their intent to cause serious injury.
- Young males aged between fourteen and twenty-four are most likely to be a victim of knife crime.
This gripping and thought-provoking story highlights the terrible consequences of peer pressure,
and casts a spotlight on the worrying rise in knife crime among teenagers.
6 comments:
'Every writer hates to hear the words “stunning new talent” applied to someone else, but in the case of Anthony McGowan nothing else will do'
'Read it while I was in Paris — and thought it was really excellent with a brilliant twist on being killed, and still the best first chapter I’ve read in years'
- Meg Rosoff (author of award-winners How I Live Now and Just In Case)
'It was amazing, ten out of ten! The language was astounding and the characters were cleverly thought up . . . It was definitely in my top five best books I've ever read. I'm imagining it will go a long way'
Harry (aged 12)
This book had me hooked straight away, the stunning first chapter is such a contrast and really sets up the reader to challenge their perceptions. With such an emotive and topical subject - covering teen peer pressure and the scarily front-page issue of knife crime Anthony McGowan hits a raw nerve in showing just how easy it is for a teen today to find themselves caught up in such a terrifying situation. A brilliantly written, emotive and heart stopping book.
I read this book in one single breathless sitting and put quite simply I believe it's the most timely, uncomfortable and important book I've read in years. Yes it's timely, yes it has a place in todays world and comments on a comtemporary problem, but beyond all of the 'news' issues surrounding this book, it is simply an astonishingly well written, literary book about what it means to be a teenager.
Anthony McGowan has truly touched on the pains and insecurities of adolescence and has humanised a terrible act that most writers would merely have condemned. I found this book terribly hard to read in places but even harder to put down.
Now that we're seeing almost daily reports of teens using knives against each other, I think that everyone could learn something from this book; young people can not help but identify with Paul and his horribly typical experiences of being a teenager and I hope that any adult that reads this would stop to consider the 'why' behind these terrible crimes before condemning todays teenagers as 'out of control'
This is an arresting, compelling and deeply relevant book. It makes you question what's going wrong with society. It also made me worry about what we can do to stop knife crime. Every parent and every teen should read this so that they can see where carrying a knife can lead.
I thought this was an amazing book. Yes, it delivers an incredible insight into the dangers facing teenagers today and into how easy it is to be drawn into a world of violence. But more than that, it's the most utterly compelling thriller. I really recommend it - to teenagers, teachers, parents and anyone who wants to be gripped by a terrifying narrative.
Post a Comment