Review by Facennagoss -- A Bloody Book by Chris Bowen
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Facennagoss
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Review by Facennagoss -- A Bloody Book by Chris Bowen
[Following is a volunteer review of "A Bloody Book" by Chris Bowen.]
4 out of 4 stars
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A Bloody Book is the story of a nine year old boy who is forced to deal with situations most adults would struggle to comprehend. It was written by Chris Bowen. The story follows the protagonist, Maxx as he moves through each day, trying to survive in a cruel world. Maxx has to contend with an alcoholic father, an absent mother, a toddler, a hitman and a school that has given up on him. When Mr Foxx, the straight talking super teacher with his unique teaching methods arrives on the scene it seems as though Maxx’ luck is about to change. Will Maxx break free from a world of poverty and abuse or will his family’s mistakes haunt him forever?
I enjoyed this book because it tested the boundaries of the teaching profession. It has the ability to engage students and adults alike but also acts as a warning. Despite the fact that this book is written in a light-hearted manner, it does cover real issues that real children are facing today. The one that stands out for me, not because it is the most extreme but because it is one that everyone can relate to, is when the author highlights the way in which young people are perceived in society. Young people get involved with and achieve some amazing things but more often than not these go unnoticed because of their poor reputation. This is acknowledged very early on and as a result, a good rapport between author and reader is built. This is developed after Maxx has provided the details of a hugely significant event in his home life. Once he has finished his story, Maxx dismisses the enormity of the situation stating, ‘but I just thought you needed to know.’ He has been trained to believe that adults in school care only about grades. This book is a superb reminder to adults that there are reasons as to why children behave in certain ways. It is highlighting the fact that they are human and not robots made purely for education. Through this acknowledgment, the author is able to engage even the most reluctant reader.
This book is aimed at young people and as a teacher myself, I know that it will catch their attention. It tells them how to read without being patronising and it gives the character the voice. We are told as teachers to ‘stop talking and let them get on with it.’ This book achieves that, engaging the reader from the offset.
Flowery language is the biggest turn off for students. The language in this book is to the point. It speaks to the reader, aligning perfectly with the identified target audience.
The book takes the reader on an emotional roller coaster. Maxx’ life and his situation tugs at the heart strings and you find yourself wanting nothing more than to climb in to the book and save him. At other times he had me laughing to the point at which I was crying, namely the spelling bee incident.
There were some points where I was unsure as to whether or not grammar mistakes were made to match the voice or if they were genuine errors. In my opinion, the colloquial language worked brilliantly in creating the voice of Maxx but I think that the grammar errors should have been avoided. This would have given the book a more professional finish.
I gave this book 4 out of 4 stars because it was exceptionally well written. The voice of the protagonist, Maxx is very strong and the author has done well to create a voice that resonates with both adults and children. Maxx serves as a reminder to adults and a comrade to children. His character has been cleverly created. The proposed target audience for this book is reluctant readers but I recommend this book to all.
******
A Bloody Book
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4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
A Bloody Book is the story of a nine year old boy who is forced to deal with situations most adults would struggle to comprehend. It was written by Chris Bowen. The story follows the protagonist, Maxx as he moves through each day, trying to survive in a cruel world. Maxx has to contend with an alcoholic father, an absent mother, a toddler, a hitman and a school that has given up on him. When Mr Foxx, the straight talking super teacher with his unique teaching methods arrives on the scene it seems as though Maxx’ luck is about to change. Will Maxx break free from a world of poverty and abuse or will his family’s mistakes haunt him forever?
I enjoyed this book because it tested the boundaries of the teaching profession. It has the ability to engage students and adults alike but also acts as a warning. Despite the fact that this book is written in a light-hearted manner, it does cover real issues that real children are facing today. The one that stands out for me, not because it is the most extreme but because it is one that everyone can relate to, is when the author highlights the way in which young people are perceived in society. Young people get involved with and achieve some amazing things but more often than not these go unnoticed because of their poor reputation. This is acknowledged very early on and as a result, a good rapport between author and reader is built. This is developed after Maxx has provided the details of a hugely significant event in his home life. Once he has finished his story, Maxx dismisses the enormity of the situation stating, ‘but I just thought you needed to know.’ He has been trained to believe that adults in school care only about grades. This book is a superb reminder to adults that there are reasons as to why children behave in certain ways. It is highlighting the fact that they are human and not robots made purely for education. Through this acknowledgment, the author is able to engage even the most reluctant reader.
This book is aimed at young people and as a teacher myself, I know that it will catch their attention. It tells them how to read without being patronising and it gives the character the voice. We are told as teachers to ‘stop talking and let them get on with it.’ This book achieves that, engaging the reader from the offset.
Flowery language is the biggest turn off for students. The language in this book is to the point. It speaks to the reader, aligning perfectly with the identified target audience.
The book takes the reader on an emotional roller coaster. Maxx’ life and his situation tugs at the heart strings and you find yourself wanting nothing more than to climb in to the book and save him. At other times he had me laughing to the point at which I was crying, namely the spelling bee incident.
There were some points where I was unsure as to whether or not grammar mistakes were made to match the voice or if they were genuine errors. In my opinion, the colloquial language worked brilliantly in creating the voice of Maxx but I think that the grammar errors should have been avoided. This would have given the book a more professional finish.
I gave this book 4 out of 4 stars because it was exceptionally well written. The voice of the protagonist, Maxx is very strong and the author has done well to create a voice that resonates with both adults and children. Maxx serves as a reminder to adults and a comrade to children. His character has been cleverly created. The proposed target audience for this book is reluctant readers but I recommend this book to all.
******
A Bloody Book
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Facennagoss's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: Will of The Hill by Marshall Cobb
