Quad

"Everything was leading up to this moment-the point at which the teasing, the cruelty, the pressure all become too much. And someone finally snapped."Quad deals with a high school shooting just like Nancy Garden's Endgame. The difference here is that in Quad the reader does not see the bullying from one person's perspective. Instead, we witness the cruelty of high school through the eyes of the techies, choirboys, drama queens, and freaks. Added into the mix are the preps and the jocks with their own problems.The story takes place at Muir High, which is a typical high school. Within the first chapter the shooting takes place. Quickly, Ranger, Ken, Sage, Maggie, Calvert, and Christopher rush into the student store and barricade themselves in. Huddled together, as shots ring out, they attempt to figure out who the school shooter is.The book uses a series of flashbacks to tell the story from each group's perspective. I won't lie, it was confusing sometimes. There were a lot of characters that I had to sort out. As the story progressed I was more familiar with the different characters. However, for students who dislike books that have flashbacks and a barrage of characters they may not like Quad.Overall, I did enjoy Quad, but not as much as Endgame. I think most teens will enjoy the book because Ms. Watson does an excellent job of portraying high school life in a realistic and painful way.

YA. It's young adult fiction. Young adult fiction is important because young adults actually read books- think Harry Potter. Watson is a school teacher and she's amazing with the teen age characters, the groups in a high school, and especially with the slang. Slang, the idiom of American teenagers change every year, but she does pretty well. My own teenage memories reside in the misty past, but this is a fascinating story. It's a dark story, but, these are dark times for some high schools. She does the hormone rush of adolescence quite well. This kind of story is usually described as "fast paced," which it is.The characters seem real. The athlete bully is not one dimensional, and other characters have quirks, complexities, and odd twists. I liked that aspect of the story. Recommended, of course.

As a survivor of some seriously extreme abuse from bullies throughout my scholastic experience, I have to say the there are some issues with Quad that keep it from being a 4 or 5 star book.First off, many times during the story it seems as though the author was trying to present us with a view of Stone (the head bully) that was somehow partially faultless for his violent nature. It is ludicrous to suggest that there be any feelings of solace about a bully's life leading him to do the things he does, expecially when the book presented is to a young audience. It is NEVER ok or justifiable to intentionally hurt people verbally, physically or through degrading actions, all of which Stone exhibits in this book. The idea that he has somehow been the victim of several bad things in his personal experience cannot be justified, especially in the case of an attempted rape scene. As someone who has been thru the daily rigors of dealing with overbearing, rage filled, power thirsty bullies from kindergarten through high school, I can tell you that there is no possible way that I or anyone else who has experienced this demeaning, degrading and defaming behavior can feel any pity or remorse for a bully who happens to have issues. There is NO excuse for brutality.Second, the book's many cliques and characters can be a bit overwhelming at times, as is the focus of their daily lives. This can be a problem for younger readers' attention spans.Third, while Stone has apparently been public enemy number one for most of his school career, he doesn't exhibit the trademark behavior to such depths that most bullies I have encountered do. Sure he is quick to upset anyone who has to pass him or share the same breatheable air, but his attacks when verbal are all but pathetic and would be dismissed by most teens. When he is violent, it is a different story however.The story does have some bright spots and the feeling of terror as a shooter goes on a rampage is believable and completely feasible, but the end has no surprise; it is quite easy to predict who the shooter is by the last third of the book. Still, the book's shortcomings are quite strong here, and therefore regrettably justify a low rating. 2.5 stars

This fast-paced read presents the frightening side of high schools today. The action starts by page five, when an unknown shooter is heard firing shots in the high school quad. Terrified students run screaming in all directions. One small group barricades themselves in the school store.C. G. Watson begins her story on Monday, April 6. Through flashbacks, the reader learns about the lives of the students at Muir High School. Everyone gets to tell their story - the Jocks, the Freaks, the Techies, the Drama Queens, the Choirboys, etc. Each group has the potential to have spawned the mystery shooter.Could the violence be the result of "roid rage," homophobia, a jealous girlfriend or boyfriend, or some nerd sick of teasing and taunts? All aspects of today's teens and their roller coaster ride called high school appear in this book. The characters, though fictional, are frighteningly similar to real life. Readers will recognize their fellow students and will probably shudder to think how close to home this story hits.QUAD speaks to the problems faced by many teens and offers many opportunities for discussion of current topics. Every library needs a copy, and perhaps every school curriculum needs to adopt it as a learning tool in the classroom.Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"