Reviews

Rat by Lesley Choyce

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alyssa_104's review against another edition

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emotional funny mysterious fast-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

misssusan's review against another edition

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2.0

this doesn't sound like any high school kid i've ever met. quick read though. 2 stars

dairyqueen84's review against another edition

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4.0

School pisses Colin off; so do his teachers who view him as a troublemaker. But what really pisses him off are the bullies who get away with it because no one wants to break the code of silence that the bullies rely on. When Colin interrupts Liam and Craig picking on an old man during lunch break, the vice principal catches the tail end where the old man yells at Colin and he gets in trouble for it. He also winds up on Liam and Craig’s hit list and a photoshopped, nude photo of Colin winds up on GoofFace. Colin could handle that because the body wasn’t even his and anyone would see that. But when pictures of his female friends begin appearing and Emily, a fellow outcast, tells him that she thinks Liam and Craig did it to retaliate for the girls turning them down, Colin feels he has to do something about it and considers defying the unwritten social rules of no snitching. The unwritten code is so pervasive in the school that even the vice principal accuses him of ratting when he comes to tell him what is happening. This book for reluctant readers provides a realistic portrayal of timely topics including cyberbullying, sexual harassment, and school violence.

minttangle's review

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dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

Eugh. Unenjoyable and nonsensical. The main character spends half his time confused by adults using big words and the other half using big words himself. Nobody ever learns their lesson. And none of the situations are handled realistically by anyone involved. The only reason it gets some points is because the kids in the reading class I'm working with seemed to enjoy it.

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