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Searching... Salem Main Library | TEEN Spears, K. | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Luke Grayson's life might as well be over when he's sent to live with his Baptist pastor father in rural Tennessee after getting kicked out of his DC private school. His soulless stepmother is none too pleased to have him, and Luke's bad boy status has done him no favors with his new principal or the local police chief. He's also an easy target for Grant Parker, the local golden boy with a violent streak, who has the community of Ashland under his thumb and Luke directly in his crosshairs. But things go topsy-turvy when, after a freak accident, Luke replaces Grant at the top of the social pyramid. This fish out of water has suddenly gone from social outcast to hero in a matter of twenty-four hours. For the students who have lived in fear of Grant all their lives, this is a welcome change. But Luke's newfound fame comes with a price. Nobody knows the truth about what really happened to Grant Parker except for Luke, and the longer he keeps living the lie, the more like Grant he becomes.Kat Spears returns with this explosive coming of age story that explores not only the labels put on us by society, but the labels we put on ourselves, and the work it takes to find out who we really are underneath all the lies.
Author Notes
Kat Spears has worked as a bartender, museum director, housekeeper, park ranger, business manager, and painter (not the artistic kind). She holds an M.A. in anthropology, which has helped to advance her bartending career. She lives in Richmond, Virginia with her three freeloading kids. She is also the author of Sway and Breakaway.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 8 Up-This fast-paced work features a grab bag of teen fiction stock characters. Luke recently moved from the big city to a new high school in small-town Tennessee. Grant Parker is the "big man on campus." Grant's girlfriend, a pretty cheerleader named Penny, and Delilah, a cynical but intriguing neighbor girl, are both drawn to Luke right away. A bevy of suspicious adults waste no time before pegging Luke, the son of a local Baptist pastor, as a troublemaking outsider. Following minimal buildup, Grant comes after Luke at the garage where he works. The protagonist dodges him, and Grant falls into the grease pit, becoming comatose. Things take a surprising turn when Luke, rather than being blamed for the accident, is hailed as a hero. The newcomer is offered Grant's seat at the jocks' table, his position as student council president, and, incredibly, sex with Penny. Predictably, our former outcast abuses his newfound power, angering Delilah and straining his relationships with the dorky kids who initially accepted him. After a drunken homecoming night revelation, Luke must face what he's become. Luke sees himself as a gentleman but slut-shames, dismisses, or sexually pressures both love interests. He ultimately ends up with the cooler and smarter of the two. It's hard to imagine a group of real teenagers responding to a classmate's maiming in such a uniformly unlikely fashion. Spears has created a true antihero who may appeal to readers looking for a particular brand of edginess. VERDICT The interest inherent in love triangles, high-stakes drama, and the familiar fish-out-of-water premise may outweigh the aspects of this book that are dated, sensationalistic, and implausible.-Miriam DesHarnais, Towson University, MD © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Sent to live with his preacher father in Tennessee, rebellious seventeen-year-old Luke is immediately targeted by bully Grant. When a freak accident involving both boys lands Grant in a coma, Luke must decide whether to maintain his victimhood or embrace the power shift. Spears expertly develops a protagonist with deep flaws, but the circumstances surrounding Luke's abrupt move from DC are maddeningly vague. (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
One teen replaces another at the top of a small-town social pyramid. Luke Grayson moves from a private school in Washington, D.C., to spend his senior year of high school in a small town in eastern Tennessee with the Baptist preacher father he scarcely knows. Luke's intention is to survive nine months, then flee, but early on he attracts the enmity of local golden boy and star quarterback Grant Parkerbut when Grant is injured, Luke becomes heir to his throne, finding himself with Grant's gang of bullies, Grant's former squeeze, and even homecoming king. The books first problem is that Luke is a relentlessly unattractive protagonist: entirely amoral and contemptuous of every single person he encounters. The second problem is that all of the secondary characters are cardboard stereotypes deserving of Luke's contempt. His father and stepmother are Southern Baptist parodies, the mechanic who employs Luke (and gives him a Camaro) can't figure out how to enter a password on the shop's computers, and the town's adults flock to the high school's homecoming dance because it's so much fun. None of these details rings remotely true. Race is only partially assigned to a few girls, described as blonde; the default seems to be assumed to be white. A big disappointment for fans of Spears' other work; for a stellar exploration of the rural South, read Jeff Zentners The Serpent King (2016) instead. (Fiction. 14-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Superpopular high-school athlete Grant Parker can do no wrong in his tiny town of Ashland, Tennessee. He has a coven of since-forever friends and an enviable girl by his side. Luke Grayson, the new kid in Ashland, can do no right. Kicked out of his D.C. prep school after a prank went awry, and sent to live with the father he barely knows, Luke just wants to fix up a muscle car and hightail out of town as soon as graduation rolls around. But Grant and Luke can't keep their paths from crossing not if jealous, maniacal Grant has anything to say about it. In fact, the more Luke tries to back away, the closer Grant gets. Each of his power plays escalate, until Grant's final attempt to assert himself leaves his life in the balance, Luke's future in limbo, and the question begged: Just how well do we know what we're capable of when pushed to our limits? Far more than a mere bullying story, Spears' latest is shockingly relatable, and she proves once again to be masterful at revealing the complex emotions and ambitions of teen boys.--Walters Wright, Lexi Copyright 2017 Booklist