Review by Sandy16 -- A Bloody Book by Chris Bowen
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Sandy16
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Review by Sandy16 -- A Bloody Book by Chris Bowen
[Following is a volunteer review of "A Bloody Book" by Chris Bowen.]
What you’re really saying with every beating is, “I’m so angry that I don’t know how to love you no more.” There are so many wonderful lines in Bloody Book by Chris Bowen that make a reader become a part of the story. In this book, the main character Maxx is telling his story about an assignment that a teacher gave him and why he no longer gives a crap.
Maxx attends school despite the problems that are at home. Maxx is placed in a reading class for students who struggle. Maxx calls the class Reading Hell and describes the other students who are also in the class. Students are generally in this particular class year after year, which indicates that there is something wrong with the program. We meet Ms. Spencer who is Maxx’s elderly teacher and has her own set of problems. Maxx explains that it is important for teachers to build relationships, which are real, with students. Ms. Spencer builds her relationship with her students during an incident where her wig falls and the students are laughing. What happens next in the classroom allow her students to respect her and vice versa. According to Maxx, other school personnel don’t have much hope for the students in the class because of the way they are sometimes treated. Personnel spends hours explaining how to fill in an oval for a test. Then one day, Mr. Foxx came in as the new teacher and treated students like the rest of the school. As the story unfolds, the reader is moved into part 2 of the book.
Chris Bowen felt it was important for the reader to understand when Maxx began to not care. Maxx was a 9 year old boy with a younger sister named Rosie. Maxx is Rosie’s primary care giver because his dad was worthless and mom was working all the time. Maxx describes this traumatic time when his father dies and mother left them on their own.
This particular book would be ideal for young adults between the ages of 11-15, however, I do think that any student would want to read. So many students would benefit from having this book in their classroom. Students in classrooms need to identify with a character in a book and Chris Bowen allows this to happen with Maxx. Chris Bowen brings Maxx’s character alive easily, which could be any student, in any district and in any state across the country. There are many students in this country who can’t do homework because they are caring for siblings or family and this is part of Maxx’s story. As a reader, I found myself relating to Maxx and his story because I have seen many students like him. One of the questions that Maxx asks is “Where does happiness come from?” Does it come from food on real plates or ketchup out of a bottle? These are questions for many individuals and Chris Bowen pulls you into this story because readers will identify directly with Maxx or know someone like Maxx.
I would give Bloody Book 4 out of 4 stars. The heartbreaking story was well written and believable. I want to share this book with so many individuals that have come into my life. Chris Bowen was able to tell the story of so many children in our country who aren’t growing up in a well-off family. After reading Bloody Book, readers should have a better appreciation of what people might go through at a very young age and the reason why they might not care anymore. I would recommend this book to any teacher at any grade level.
******
A Bloody Book
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
What you’re really saying with every beating is, “I’m so angry that I don’t know how to love you no more.” There are so many wonderful lines in Bloody Book by Chris Bowen that make a reader become a part of the story. In this book, the main character Maxx is telling his story about an assignment that a teacher gave him and why he no longer gives a crap.
Maxx attends school despite the problems that are at home. Maxx is placed in a reading class for students who struggle. Maxx calls the class Reading Hell and describes the other students who are also in the class. Students are generally in this particular class year after year, which indicates that there is something wrong with the program. We meet Ms. Spencer who is Maxx’s elderly teacher and has her own set of problems. Maxx explains that it is important for teachers to build relationships, which are real, with students. Ms. Spencer builds her relationship with her students during an incident where her wig falls and the students are laughing. What happens next in the classroom allow her students to respect her and vice versa. According to Maxx, other school personnel don’t have much hope for the students in the class because of the way they are sometimes treated. Personnel spends hours explaining how to fill in an oval for a test. Then one day, Mr. Foxx came in as the new teacher and treated students like the rest of the school. As the story unfolds, the reader is moved into part 2 of the book.
Chris Bowen felt it was important for the reader to understand when Maxx began to not care. Maxx was a 9 year old boy with a younger sister named Rosie. Maxx is Rosie’s primary care giver because his dad was worthless and mom was working all the time. Maxx describes this traumatic time when his father dies and mother left them on their own.
This particular book would be ideal for young adults between the ages of 11-15, however, I do think that any student would want to read. So many students would benefit from having this book in their classroom. Students in classrooms need to identify with a character in a book and Chris Bowen allows this to happen with Maxx. Chris Bowen brings Maxx’s character alive easily, which could be any student, in any district and in any state across the country. There are many students in this country who can’t do homework because they are caring for siblings or family and this is part of Maxx’s story. As a reader, I found myself relating to Maxx and his story because I have seen many students like him. One of the questions that Maxx asks is “Where does happiness come from?” Does it come from food on real plates or ketchup out of a bottle? These are questions for many individuals and Chris Bowen pulls you into this story because readers will identify directly with Maxx or know someone like Maxx.
I would give Bloody Book 4 out of 4 stars. The heartbreaking story was well written and believable. I want to share this book with so many individuals that have come into my life. Chris Bowen was able to tell the story of so many children in our country who aren’t growing up in a well-off family. After reading Bloody Book, readers should have a better appreciation of what people might go through at a very young age and the reason why they might not care anymore. I would recommend this book to any teacher at any grade level.
******
A Bloody Book
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Island Games by Caleb J. Boyer
