Monday Redux

Children's Literature

In an excellent melding of reality and science fiction, Rego witnesses a horrific school shooting spree carried out by a boy he has grown up with. Realizing that the boy had warned him of his plans, Rego is given the chance to travel back through time and relive the day, but fails in his efforts to prevent the shooting by himself. Seeing the terrible consequences of his inaction, and then wrong reaction, Rego gets yet another opportunity to prevent the tragedy. The story includes background news commentaries that give readers a chance to evaluate the way events can be interpreted, and often misinterpreted, by outsiders. Most importantly, this thought-provoking book will give teens a springboard for discussion of the causes of school violence and the best ways to prevent it. Rego is a likable character with enough teen angst and personal foibles to make him entirely believable. The dialogue seems right on target. The parents are rather stereotypical, but probably representative of the way many teens view adults: out of touch and mostly blundering in their efforts to help. This fast paced and compelling book will give teens a lot to think about. 2003, Flywheel Publishing Company, Ages 12 up.
— Leslie Rounds

VOYA

The Columbine massacre meets Groundhog Day in this dark thriller about typical teenager Reginald "Rego" Poppel. He suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder after his seriously troubled friend, Lance, went on a killing spree at their high school as Rego watched helplessly. Subsequently, Rego is contacted by a mysterious scientist, Maverick, who claims to be a time traveler from the future. Maverick gives Rego a chance to go back in time to the morning of the massacre to attempt to stop it, and when the boy is only partially successful, he provides him with yet another opportunity to do so. The novel's strength lies in Favole's highly believable, first-person portrait of Rego, a young man almost overcome by feelings of guilt and self-doubt. Lance at first comes across as a virtually archetypal bad seed-the kind of youth who will intentionally throw a ball in front of a speeding car in the hope that Rego's dog will chase it and get hit-but readers eventually get some hint of why he is as warped as he is. The book's supporting cast-parents, fellow students, teachers, television reporters and pundits, police officers-are all rather thin and are, for the most part, portrayed negatively. Favole is particularly hard on the television pundits, most of whom sound like right-wing caricatures of the ACLU. Although written on a middle school level, this book's grim content and chilling ending might make it more appropriate for somewhat older readers. VOYA Codes: 3Q 3P M J (Readable without serious defects; Will appeal with pushing; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2003, Flywheel Publishing, 194p,
— Michael Levy

School Library Journal

Gr 6-8-This time-switch psychodrama about a high school shooting also takes a jab at invasive media coverage and a vulnerable law-enforcement agency. Rego, 16, is cornered into a face-off with a friend who is randomly firing a handgun throughout the school halls. Lance runs into him and goads him to pick who will be next and Rego's hesitation costs a classmate her life as well as that of the custodian who jumps to protect her. So begins Rego's nightmare. Yet he is offered up a chance to get it right. A mysterious e-mail arrives instructing him to travel back in time, taking the blue worm-hole (a magical mystery ride that vaporizes in his hallway), where he'll have the chance to restructure the scene and rescue a happy ending. However, Lance outmaneuvers him, and Rego's moment of heroism is ineffectual during the replay. When he is given the chance to take the worm-hole trek yet again, his good luck becomes too much of a stretch. The exaggerated actions and shallow characterizations pit a superhero against a dastardly villain. Adults are flatly stereotypical, and Rego's genuine anguish and haunting guilt are compromised by a jagged plot and erratic action. The most affecting and suspenseful moments are when Lance targets Rego's dog as a victim. This chilling glimpse of a troubled teen's cruel retaliation on an innocent animal rings true, but other aspects of the story are too predictable.-Alison Follos, North Country School, Lake Placid, NY Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.