Give+a+Boy+a+Gun

By Todd Strasser [[image:http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LM1ase_gPCI/Ss9R95Eg9hI/AAAAAAAAC5k/mCjTLjtpciM/s400/Give+a+Boy+a+Gun.jpg width="157" height="238" align="left"]]
__Give A Boy A Gun__ by Todd Strasser is a realistic fiction novel about 2 boys, named Gary and Brendan, who commit suicide and attempt to kill others at a school dance. It is the story of their lives and why they did what they did. The interesting thing about this book is it is written in quotes of people in Brendan’s and Gary’s lives. This makes the book much more emotional. The story starts when Brendan and Gary were in 7th grade. Brendan had not moved to Gary’s town yet, so they didn’t know each other. The book follows Brendan and Gary through middle school and high school in the words of their friends, family, classmates, and teachers. The bullying started in middle school, but each year it would get worse and worse. The 2 boys would joke with their friends about wanting to kill themselves and others, but little did they know, each time they said it, they got more and more serious about it. Tiny events like being pushed into a locker or getting called names would hurt more and more to Bre ndan and Gary each time they happened, to the point that they just didn’t care whether or not they lived or died. The other thing that made this book extremely emotional was that at the end of each page, the author would put a quote or fact form a similar real-life incident. For example, one that really stuck out in my mind was, “2/29/00-In Mount Morris Township, Michigan, six-year-old [|Kayla Rolland] is shot to death in her first-grade classroom by a six-year-old classmate who used a handgun he had found at home.” I think the fact that a six-year-old, not only brought a gun to school, but also killed someone with it shows there is something seriously wrong with this country. This book really makes you think about bullying and gun awareness. media type="youtube" key="xWiIMoMJRys" height="211" width="319"

In the book, Gary is obsessed with the song "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen. There was one line in the song, "Nothing really matters, anyone can see. Nothing really matters to me." He felt the entire song, but especially this specific quote, described his life exactly. media type="youtube" key="qe9PSliDG4M" height="242" width="317" align="center"

__** [|Professional Reveiw] **__
__** Million Mom March Foundation **__
 * A portion of the proceed generated from the sale of this book was donated to the [|Million Mom March Foundation], a national grassroots organization dedicated to preventing gun death and injury and supporting victims and survivors of gun trauma. **



About The Author
[|Todd Strasser] has always been concerned with problems of teen stress and violence. When he wrote this book, he felt compelled to address these issues, as well as how the availability of guns can affect the emotional decisions of teens. He has written many award-winnig novels, one of which became a feature film. He speaks frequently at schools about the craft of writing, and conducts workshops for young writers. He currently lives in a suburb of New York City with his family.