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Is there really such a thing as redemption? Through his story, Gordon Korman lets us know he believes there is.
The theme of the story centers around people and second chances. When given a shot at redemption, many people find themselves able to change, regardless of their past. Anyone can change, given the right circumstances, but it is never easy to do so. The characters’ complicated pasts and their guilt push them to step up and be better people in the end.
Arjay, a fifteen-year-old accused of manslaughter; Gecko, accomplice to his brother’s crimes since age nine; and Terence, gang member and thief from Chicago are all given a second chance. When their group leader, Mr. Healy, is injured and sent to the hospital, they are left on their own. Instead of running away or returning to their life of crime, the boys continue as if Mr. Healy never left.
Although the book is narrated from the third person point of view, the characters are believable and understandable. The story reveals the characters’ thoughts and feelings, making it easy to sympathize with them. For example, when Gecko meets his new lab partner at school, the boy is deathly afraid of him. His partner pegs him as a “possible gang member, possible felon, possible psychopath”. Gecko reflects bitterly, “I might as well have stayed in prison. They may not beat you with soap here but they still know how to hurt you.”
The strongest aspect of the book was character development.To an outsider, the boys were viewed as criminals. On the inside they were more complicated individuals. The characters’ traits are revealed through the challenges they face. The reader recognizes how strong their friendship has become at the end of the story. Altogether, the characters and their growth make the book more interesting and enjoyable to read.
--Book Review by Madeline Rodenbaugh, Sioux County Schools, Harrison, NE
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