Shelf Life

A California Young Reader Medal nominee for 2006-2007 (Young Adult category)

“Simon Glass was easy to hate. I never knew exactly why, there was so much to pick from. I guess, really, we each hated him for a different reason, but we didn’t realize it until the day we killed him.”

Thus begins Giles gripping story of a teen murder. Simon Glass is the class dweeb. Overweight with bad skin, bad clothes and no social skills Glass is a walking bull’s eye for the other kids. Mercilessly harassed by the in-crowd, he seems oblivious to his own social ineptitude.

Simon’s chief tormentor is one-time alpha-male Lance Ansley. Just before the story begins Lance is dethroned by Rob, a new kid with charm and charisma and, we later discover, some dark secrets. Rob decides to make a project of Simon and coerces Young, Bob, and Coop into helping him. Rob will make Simon the most popular kid in the school and will make Lance a pariah in the process.

Under Rob’s tutelage Simon begins a remarkable transformation. But as the new Simon emerges we discover that he has plans of his own and he is not the harmless, bumbling nerd that he once appeared to be. Each of the main characters has his façade peeled back and his personal and family secrets revealed. The how and why of Simon’s murder provides the mystery, not fully revealed until the disturbing climax.

This book is a real page-turner and a great choice for reluctant readers.