Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Send by Patty Blount ~ Review & Giveaway

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Source:  Netgally - thank you

From Goodreads:

It’s been five years since I clicked Send.
Four years since I got out of juvie.
Three months since I changed my name.
Two minutes since I met Julie.
A second to change my life.


All Dan wants for his senior year is to be invisible. This is his last chance at a semi-normal life. Nobody here knows who he is. Or what he’s done. But on his first day at school, instead of turning away like everyone else, Dan breaks up a fight. Because Dan knows what it’s like to be terrorized by a bully—he used to be one.

Now the whole school thinks he’s some kind of hero—except Julie. She looks at him like she knows he has a secret. Like she knows his name isn’t really Daniel...


My Thoughts:




3 stars - Actions have consequences & this book proves it

Let me start by saying that I'm a teacher and I deal with kids bullying each other on a regular basis.  It's not okay.  I'm all over it every time I see it.  Teachers meet and talk about stuff like this.  We pay attention to the kids that are struggling with friends.  We bring counselors into the conversation.  We bring parents into the conversation.

I'm not just any kind of teacher, I'm a technology teacher.  Just finished a unit on internet safety.  We discussed in great detail the consequences of posting things on the internet.  I don't think that students can hear this topic enough.  The internet includes texting.  Students don't think about what happens after they hit send.

So, needless to say, I was VERY interested in reading this book.  Dan hit send when he was 13 and has been paying ever since.  I really liked Dan.  He made a mistake and he has paid for it over and over again to the point of cruel and usual.  The consequences he faced has shaped him into a different person, one that is suffering.  His internal dialogue with himself has become real.  He talks to his 13 year old self daily, arguing and trying to find a way to forgive himself.  It was an interesting way to explore who he was and who has become.  My heart just ached for him.

Julie is a character I struggled with.  I was pretty sure I had her figured out and I was right.  But she does redeem herself through the book.  Her hot and cold attitude, though understandable, annoyed me.  I guess I never really liked her.  It could be her initial meeting with Dan that really did for me with her.  She was watching bullying doing nothing.  It's the teacher in me but I can't deal with that.

The story itself was fast pasted and a fast read.  I stayed up late reading it.  I will say that the consequences that Dan lived through seemed extreme compared to what I see students get on a daily basis.  His judge was trying to set an example, I guess, but it seemed too much to me.  The ending of this one left me wanting just one more chapter.   It felt like a snipit from life instead of a resolution.  That makes it more real but left me wanting.

I think this is a good read for anyone who likes YA.  I may have to get a paperback of this one to put on my shelf at school.

 




***GIVEAWAY***

Thanks to the publisher, I have one copy of Send to give away to one of you lovies.  Fill out the rafflecopter below.

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10 comments:

  1. Valerie,
    Just to let you know I've nominated you for the One Lovely Blogger Award! My post can be found here: http://rinnreads.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/one-lovely-blogger-award.html =)
    Rinn

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  2. Thanks for the lovely review Val!! I think that this book sounds really great, and is a fantastic book for teenagers these days to read. Back when I was a teenager we had the internet, but it wasn't as widely used and we didn't have cellphones, we had pagers so you couldn't really text hurtful things.

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  3. Sounds like a book every parent, teacher and tween/teenager should read! Thanks for sharing this!:)

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  4. Okay, I'm definitely curious to read Send. Thank goodness no one had cell phones or email when I was in high school! I'm already starting to warn my kids about bullying. Thanks for the informative review!

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  5. This is an epidemic now in society. There is a helplessness that occurs when your child is being bullied (not teased, Bullied) and going through the routes that all the tape the system has in place protecting the bully. The pain I see in my childrens eyes on occasion makes the mama bear come out and look out. I think books like this one introduces the subject for discussion and can be something people can learn from - as a teen, adult, or teacher.

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  6. I have a bunch of teacher friends so this comes up regularly in conversation, especially as computers are used in the classroom almost daily at my kids' schools. I think it's SO important for kids to learn what bullying is in RL but especially online as it seems to be a more underhanded method of bullying. If you don't get it for your room I'll get it for you ;)

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  7. This book sounds great! I've read books about bullying, but never about the effects of it! Great review, I can't wait to read this one.

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  8. First off, im so glad you care about those who are being bullied/struggling with friends! Im in high school and i feel sorry for those who are bullied. I DO stand up for them, but im not enough. Now off to the book, great review, though i hoped you liked it more!
    - Farah @ MajiBookshelf

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  9. Well, this sounds like an intense book, with a good message. Definitely something I would consider reading. Nice review Pal.

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