The story: Freshman Brock Ripley wants to play football. He's fast and can catch--perfect as a receiver. Junior Hunter Gates is the team's quarterback and can influence whether or not Brock gets any playing time. But Hunter's mean, and a lot of that meanness focuses on Richie Fang, the new Chinese kid at school who's good at just about everything. As the bullying intensifies and circumstances come crashing down around them, the consequences are horrifying. And there's nothing Brock can do to help.
June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG-13; Violence PG-13; Sexual content G-13; Nudity PG-13 (there is an off-page groping incident involving a mentally-handicapped girl, and thus quite a bit of discussion of breasts); Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content PG; adult themes (massive bullying; parent with terminal illness; general adult cluelessness) PG-13; overall rating PG-13.
Liz's comments: Carl Deuker never shies away from tackling hard topics, and this book is no different. The unforeseen consequences of bullying are heartbreaking here, and although there is a glimmer of hope at the end, the bullies are never punished and go on to graduate with good outcomes. This realistic ending, along with the groping incident, probably make this one better for high school readers. Interestingly, athletes at our school keep Carl Deuker's books checked out all the time--so maybe those who can best learn from a tutorial about bullying will actually be reading about it this time.
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