Review of A Bloody Book

[Kimberly Jade C]

[Following is a volunteer review of "A Bloody Book" by Chris Bowen.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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A Bloody Book is a story told by Maxx, a young thirteen-year-old boy whose life is riddled with hardships no child should ever have to bear. All of his teachers have basically thrown in the towel and the people that should have taken care of him are either dead or have abandoned him. So, it’s no wonder he has given up on school and reading.
We first meet Maxx in his “Reading Hell” class. A class where all the kids with disadvantages are lumped together and promptly forgotten about. This in turn then creates the mentality of “If they don’t care about me and how I do in school, then why should I?” We learn about Maxx’s terrible childhood (abusive father and absentee mother) as well as several instances of how broken the school system really is.
Then the new “Reading Hell” teacher, Mr. Foxx, is introduced. Mr. Foxx makes use of unconventional (and rather amusing) methods to make the children realise that if they continue to not care about school and reading, they will end up worse than where they are now, i.e. addicts, homeless, in prison, etc. He gives them the reality check they need to get back on the right path.
As the book goes on, the more focus there is on Maxx, particularly when he is nine years old. The time in his life where blood had to be spilled in order for him and his two-year-old sister Rosie to survive.

I absolutely enjoyed this book! It was extremely well written and had me hooked from the very first chapter. Chris Bowen’s choice to write from Maxx’s point of view was brilliant. We got to see everything from Maxx’s eyes, which just made the book so much more powerful and authentic. The title is also an excellent play on words. Not only does it reference the blood that is spilled but it’s also a metaphor for putting all the raw emotions into words and spilling them onto the pages.

I will admit however, that there was one minor draw back to this book. Due to the constant flash backs between Maxx’s past and present, it made it difficult to follow certain sequence of events, especially in the beginning of the book.

Even with that in mind, I would still rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. There are more than enough positive aspects about this book to out way the one negative aspect.

I strongly recommend this book to any and all young teenagers. Whether you’re like Maxx and you’ve given up on school or if you’re just looking for something new and exciting to read, A Bloody Book is the perfect choice. Like Chris Bowen states in the beginning of the book:
“Start for the story.”
“Care for the characters.”
“Stay for the twist.”

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A Bloody Book
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[MsH2k]

I hope Maxx and Rosie had a better life after that titular incident when Maxx was nine.
Thank you for your thorough take on this story!