Rating: 3.5 StarsGenre: Contemporary
Release Date: 12/04/2008
About the Book: Billy's father died five months ago and now Billy is starting a new school year without him. He has a new English teacher, Miss Gate, who is young and beautiful and seems eager to help Billy with his poetry.
But as Billy spends more time with Miss Gate, the lines between student and teacher become blurred...
GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I really liked this book for taking on a tough subject and handling it in a great way-it's detailed but not graphic. Billy is in middle school, which ups the ick factor of Miss Gate, but the author does a great job presenting the subject matter that I would have no problem giving this book to a seventh grader.
I also really appreciated that this book was told from a male point of view. The reader is able to get into Billy's mind and understand what it is about Miss Gate that interests him. I liked Billy's letter's to his Dad and thought that added to Billy's character-you understood his grief.
The book did fall a little short for me with the character of Miss Gate. I would have liked some explanation as to why she was preying on Billy-Billy's only thirteen-creepy!! I would have liked to get into her head more and figure out exactly what was going on.
Overall, I think author Greg Logsted did a great job presenting a touchy subject in a readable and relateable way. He gets the reader to think and I think this book could be a great way to start discussions on student/teacher relationships for all ages.
Have you read Boy Toy by Barry Lyga? It sounds like it's the same subject matter though Boy Toy is definitely more descriptive, based on your analysis of the book.
ReplyDeleteI thought this way okay-it did succeed in keeping my attention, however, it wasn't exactly memorable.
ReplyDeleteAnd on to HP:-D I'm actually glad I've started late, though my sister has a theory that you should read each book at the same age as Harry. I wouldn't want to wait an entire year to read the next book though.
I'm pretty much obsessed now :-D
-AMY