Quite a disturbing story as you realize how cold, calculating and cruel people can be. The author throws out ideas that intrigue and frighten the same time. What would you do if you could stop a corrupt person from carrying out an evil plan...and what if that person was just trying to do the same thing only you didn't have all the same information? I love a book that twists and turns as this one did. Great read. This was a very hard book to read for me. Indeed, had it not been for the fact that it was a class assignment; I probably would not have finished it. It is definitely an authentic book in terms of the historical references. The fact that the author lived and attended school in the same country and in similar circumstances as the characters in the novel, gives the book veracity and adds to the level of interest. By the same token, however, I found the topic and the events depicted to be very hard for me to wrap my mind around. I was both incensed and saddened that such horrible events could have taken place in a not so distant past. I thought Wallace did a good job depicting the protagonist's interior conflict in selecting his own alliances based on his moral compass. I think it is a great book for students (would not recommend it before high school) to initiate discussion about moral choices and what is right and wrong. Again, the violence and the rawness of the subject matter do not make it a book that is easy or pleasurable to read. Make sure you read it ahead of your tudents and make up your own mind about it before you incorporate it into your teaching.
Good. character strong plot interesting setting. had to keep reading.
—yesacleahcim
Compelling easy read though found it a bit anti-climatic in the end.
—monkersman
Just purchased(from bbc story on costa award finalists)
—ulloa_itzya
Sharp, intense, painful to read. A remarkable voice.
—Lisa
Notable Children's Books, 2012 (ALA)
—Rach
