Overview
"Are our schools safe?"
It's hard to turn on the news without hearing this question, and the answer is typically "no." This novel explores what happens when bullying escalates to violence, and it challenges our definition of victimization.
With thought-provoking prose, Suzanne Phillips explores the psyche of Cameron, a bullied freshman who ultimately does the unthinkable: he kills another student. As she did with Chloe Doe, Suzanne has found a way to make this seemingly dark story ultimately redemptive. But she also dares readers to look at the behavior that provokes violence as having the potential to be as dangerous as the violence itself.
It's Suzanne's hope that Burn will inspire readers to take a precautionary stance against bullying rather than waiting to react to it.
Synopsis
"Are our schools safe?"
It's hard to turn on the news without hearing this question, and the answer is typically "no." This novel explores what happens when bullying escalates to violence, and it challenges our definition of victimization.
With thought-provoking prose, Suzanne Phillips explores the psyche of Cameron, a bullied freshman who ultimately does the unthinkable: he kills another student. As she did with Chloe Doe, Suzanne has found a way to make this seemingly dark story ultimately redemptive. But she also dares readers to look at the behavior that provokes violence as having the potential to be as dangerous as the violence itself.
It's Suzanne's hope that Burn will inspire readers to take a precautionary stance against bullying rather than waiting to react to it.
Publishers Weekly
In precise, often excruciating detail, Phillips (Chloe Doe) describes the downward spiral of an outcast at a school that is like a war zone. Cameron Grady is a sorely bullied freshman, the target of the football team, aka the "Red Coats"; he has become "a guy who's too afraid to bend over and tie his shoe, afraid he'll be a like a duck with his head underwater, afraid a Red Coat will pluck him out of the pond and pick apart his insides." Cameron escapes by running, and by playing with fire, literally-burning matches, his skin and a large portion of the woods near his home. Like a fire, Cameron's anger is searing, and it grows out of control. Finally, he does the unthinkable, turning on the Red Coats' other target, a classmate with even fewer defenses than Cameron, and the consequences are fatal. Writing about redemption, the author challenges readers to consider who is a criminal and who is a victim, and how far a victim is allowed to go to stand up for himself. In an age of school violence, this thought-provoking, incisive story will have staying power. Ages 12-up. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Editorials
Publishers Weekly
In precise, often excruciating detail, Phillips (Chloe Doe) describes the downward spiral of an outcast at a school that is like a war zone. Cameron Grady is a sorely bullied freshman, the target of the football team, aka the "Red Coats"; he has become "a guy who's too afraid to bend over and tie his shoe, afraid he'll be a like a duck with his head underwater, afraid a Red Coat will pluck him out of the pond and pick apart his insides." Cameron escapes by running, and by playing with fire, literally-burning matches, his skin and a large portion of the woods near his home. Like a fire, Cameron's anger is searing, and it grows out of control. Finally, he does the unthinkable, turning on the Red Coats' other target, a classmate with even fewer defenses than Cameron, and the consequences are fatal. Writing about redemption, the author challenges readers to consider who is a criminal and who is a victim, and how far a victim is allowed to go to stand up for himself. In an age of school violence, this thought-provoking, incisive story will have staying power. Ages 12-up. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.KLIATT -
"In high school there were no second chances," Cameron learns in his very first week. The coach at sports orientation publicly mistakes the slight, blond-haired freshman for a girl, and he's stuck with the nickname "Cameron Diaz" and bullied mercilessly by the brutal school jocks. Socially isolated and still trying to cope with his parents' bitter divorce, Cameron is left with a burning anger—an anger relieved only temporarily by playing with matches, even when he inadvertently causes a forest fire after a locker room assault and public humiliation by the jocks. His mother's new boyfriend, a cop, suspects Cameron is guilty of starting the fire and tries to help him. But when Cameron lashes out at a boy who had witnessed his humiliation, the tragic consequences may mean that it's too late for help. Disturbingly true-to-life, this powerful tale by the author of Chloe Doe makes Cameron's reactions eminently believable, even logical. He feels pushed to the wall and sees violence as his only option, though there are adults around who do try to reach him. This sobering look at how a victim becomes violent himself will help YAs better understand bullying and its consequences; a bit of profanity seems appropriate in context. Reviewer: Paula RohrlickVOYA -
Cameron's life began to unravel in the early days of ninth grade. Before that, he fit in and had friends. During a freshman sports orientation, jocks ridicule his name and long hair. The verbal abuse quickly turns to repeated assaults and threats. Cameron becomes more isolated, using running and burning things as his only outlets. He releases his anger by burning his own flesh, paper towels, abandoned cars-anything available when rage overcomes him. The bullying that he experiences increases until he is beaten, stripped nude, and photographed in a horrific locker room assault. Even worse, another bullied student simply watches that attack and does not help. Upon returning to school after the assault, Cameron finds the student who failed to come to his aid, and in a posttraumatic haze, beats him to death with a gym lock. The escalation of the bullying and violence against Cameron is chilling and is vividly expressed in the book's tone. When Cameron finally fights back, it is with a blind rage that reflects the trauma of his attack. This book offers a unique perspective of a victim who becomes a predator as a result of the abuse he suffers at the hands of his peers. The author brings up many issues related to bullying and retaliation, which would generate excellent discussion with older students. Although some characters seem stereotypical and thinly drawn, many young adult readers will find Cameron's journey to be eye opening and cathartic. Reviewer: Sherrie WilliamsSchool Library Journal
Gr 9 Up
Cameron, a high school freshman, becomes an easy target for the varsity bullies after a chance comment by a coach who notices his short stature and long hair from behind and directs him to the girls' gym. As the taunts of "gay" or "fag" drive most of his friends away, Cameron's anger escalates. When he is assaulted in the locker room and photos of his nude body are posted on the Internet, he begins to break down and his desire to retaliate is explosive. Only his mother's boyfriend, a police officer, is able to understand the post-traumatic stress disorder that Cam is experiencing and offer practical though unwanted support. This is an intense story with brutal descriptions of the abuse Cameron suffers. Phillips provides just enough nuanced details of sexual assault and violence yet masterfully avoids sensationalism. While Burn lacks the eloquence of Nancy Garden's Endgame (Harcourt, 2006) and the broad perspective of Walter Dean Myers's Shooter (HarperCollins, 2004), it instead approaches the inner turmoil of the victim's "real time" during the taunting, humiliation, revenge, and remorse. As Cam's emotional state deteriorates, fantasy and reality blur, effectively conveying his pain and confusion. Reluctant readers will appreciate the fast pace of the book as the disturbing plot unfolds with short day-to-day vignettes. There is understanding to be gained for everyone who reads this timely title.-Sue Lloyd, Franklin High School, Livonia, MI