Shepherd

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Shepherd Catlett, 17, lives on a large dairy farm with his parents in Vermont. A loner hampered by low self-esteem, Shep talks freely only to his best friend, Tara. But everything changes when he develops a major crush--his first--on 14-year-old Mary ``who I think could be Julia Roberts's younger sister, going by her looks'', and he's delighted to oblige when she asks him to help her out in Spanish class. Pretty Mary is thrilled by the attention cast her way by some rough-and-tumble senior guys; according to Tara, however, Mary is ``drinking much too much and getting treated like . . . let's say some kind of toy.'' Inspired by a ``message'' he thinks he hears in a rock song, Shep is convinced he's fated to save Mary--a mission that reaps physical and emotional pain. Thompson Gypsyworld blends humor and pathos to characterize a teenager's budding sexuality. Shep's clear, true voice counterbalances the slightly clunky symbolism, and readers savvy enough to look past the stolid title will be glad they did. Ages 13-up. Nov.

School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up-Shepherd and Tara have been best friends their whole lives. They live in Vermont farming and logging country, 20 miles from the high school they attend, near boys like Dwayne and Dwight Delbert, who hunt coons and feel uncomfortable in a school where both students and teachers make fun of their ``hick'' ways. When Shep meets Mary Sutherland, a sexually precocious freshman who just happens to need his help with Spanish, he begins lying to Tara and his parents in order to be with her. When he sees the phys ed teacher beat up Dwayne, he wants to report the incident to the principal, but Dwayne won't let him, knowing it won't do any good. Later, when Shep tries to save Mary from her newly found world of sex and sleazy friends, he is brutally beaten for his efforts and, humiliated, retreats temporarily into self-pitying isolation. His first-person narrative captures aspects of the high school scene perfectly-the cool guys; the jocks and cheerleaders; the teachers and administrators who don't have a clue; and the uninvolved parents. Into this mix comes Shep himself, a likable boy with a disarming, self-deprecating manner and caring parents. While the final scene in which Dwayne extracts his due revenge is somewhat unbelievable, it really doesn't matter. Most YAs will cheer for the happy ending.-Evelyn Carter Walker, Alexandrian Public Library, Mt. Vernon, IN