From: Shutta Crum <shuttacrum>
Date: Mon, 17 Mar 2008 11:41:49 -0400

Brock Cole's THE GOATS (1987) is one of my favorites dealing with this subject. Well-written and gripping. A survival story on more than one level. See excerpted review below:

>From School Library Journal
Grade 8-10 . . . fellow campers leave wimpy Howie Mitchell and ``real dog'' Laura Golden naked and scared on an island. . . . Howie . . . fears the return of their tormenters. He forces non-swimmer Laura to hang onto a log and float to the mainland. . . they plot their survival until Parent's Weekend, when Laura's mother will visit . . . Neither Howie nor Laura are initially likable kids, each either worrying or whining too much, but as they grow so does one's regard for them. The final distillation is a strong, well-blended story of modern day survival . . .

A new title is: When the Moon Regained its Shape, by Janet Heller.

RE: Jim's comments: " . . . some bullies may be stupid, but most are not, they enjoy the power they have over the weaker victims, but they are not always stupid." I absolutely agree. And I thought this was one of the failings of HOOT. However, I don't think anyone expects bullies to read these books . . . but maybe the victims will. (And find a straw of hope therein--no matter how slender?)

Shutta Crum
(A Family for Old Mill Farm, Clarion, 2007) www.shutta.com http://blog.shuttacrum.com http://articles.shuttacrum.com www.biguniverse.com
Received on Mon 17 Mar 2008 10:41:49 AM CDT