[.uk] This is What I Did: (ISBN 0316013633)

Richie's Picks: THIS IS WHAT I DID::
"That's when I got up and walked out. I just walked out. "I didn't stop in the waiting room either. I didn't stop in the hall. I didn't stop down in the lobby. I didn't even stop at the car. I just kept going. But soon I was running. I sort of ran up the hill. "A hill. "I didn't know where I was exactly except that we were by the university, but it didn't matter. I ran up a hill and there was a construction site there and a bunch of guys jackhammering. "I ran past them. "I felt stupid for all of them to see me running but I didn't stop. "I kept running and panting and almost dying until I passed them and got to the base of the mountain. I can't really describe where I was or what it was like because I didn't know and I was about to pass out. "All I know was that all of a sudden I was at the base of the mountains where the trails start and I sat down by a tree where no one was around and no one could see me from the road. "I sat down and then I yelled." "I think I might be sort of messed up," is one of the few things that the frank and awkward eighth grader Logan Paloney will admit to, and he only admits that to the reader, not to the people in his life who care about him but are, for the most part, too busy with their own stuff to really help him. We don't know what happened, exactly, but we do know that Logan witnessed something horrible that involved his best friend Zyler and a girl in the neighborhood that both boys had a middle school crush on, and we know that Logan didn't do anything about whatever it was that happened. "Last week Bruce kicked me in the balls at Scouts and all his buddies were there laughing and I started crying." In the aftermath of the unknown incident involving Zyler, Logan's parents have moved the family across the city. It clearly would have been better to have moved across the country, for news and the rumors of Logan's involvement in something terrible have followed him across the city and, as a result, he is continually being beset upon by the eighth grade bullies at his school, at Scouts, and around the neighborhood. "I closed my eyes and wasn't with Jack and any of those guys. "Just me and Zyler. "Hanging out. "Like that one night when it was so snowy and we rode our bikes in the blizzard. "Down the middle of the road because there were no cars anywhere. "We didn't even have coats on but it didn't feel cold. "And Zyler was yelling things like: Santa Claus is dead! We own you all! "I was laughing. And riding around. And wasn't even scared about what Mom would say. "The snow landing on my tongue. "On my cheeks. "On my bare arms. "In circles and circles and circles. "And I was not here. Not here. Not HERE. Not here." Will the girl at school with the big nose and a penchant for palindromes be the real friend that Logan needs? Will he ever tell someone what really happened? THIS IS WHAT I DID: has a lot of line breaks like a verse novel and a lot of dialogue, making it an extremely quick read. Even the more reluctant readers will be gulping down this compelling nightmare of a contemporary YA mystery tale, in one sitting.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too:
Zyler is gone. Logan is drowning in guilt. Will an attempt to make a new start really work? Logan is a different kid. He has twin younger brothers whose lives revolve around sports. His dad cares, but he's busy. His mother is pregnant, something he'd rather not think too much about. They care, but they don't know what to do to help him. Not a kid with lots of friends, Logan seems to manage to participate in life at a normal level. Boy Scouts offers him a chance to mingle with other boys his age, but most of them are bullies who use him for target practice. He does fairly well in school and is gutsy enough to try out for the school play and nail the greatest on-stage fight scene they've ever seen. He has friends (or at least acquaintances) that surround him and fill his life, but none like Zyler. Zyler and Logan had a special friendship. They rode bikes together, did projects together, heck, even liked the same girl together. They knew each others' strengths and weaknesses. Logan even knew how Zyler's father treated his son, but respected Zyler's need for privacy. Once again, Zyler is now gone, and Logan's family has chosen to move a short distance away to give Logan a fresh start. Hopefully a new school, new friends, and new activities will allow him to forget that night. Unfortunately, the guilt moved right along with Logan. Ann Dee Ellis uses a unique style of prose to take readers into the mind of Logan Paloney. There is a bit of a wait for readers to discover the exact cause of Logan's oppressive guilt, but the journey is worth the effort. This disturbing story makes one wonder about the personal and private worlds of those around us. Logan's actions could have changed the outcome of events in one person's world, but is that a risk just anyone is willing to take? Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

great author:
I may be biased because I had the author as a writing instructor, but she is fabulous. It's a real challenge to write about difficult topics for kids. That's what makes this so great.

KCS Book reveiw:
Have you ever been abused or seen anyone being abused and didn't do anything about it? This is what happened to Logan. His best friend Zyler was being abused by his Dad and he was the only one who knew about it, one day he saw something horrible happen, but Logan got too scared and ran away with out letting anyone know what he saw. The setting is on a street called Judge and his old street that he and Zyler both lived on Mullholand. The main character is Logan, he is kind of depressed and misses his best friend Zyler. He doesn't do much but he always thinks about how things were when Zyler was there. The problem Logan faces is getting his best friend Zyler taken away when he is abused by his father. He feels that there is no hope and he is depressed a lot. His parents had tried everything, they even took him to a counselor but still he ran away. When he goes to his new school he meets a girl named Laurel, they don't talk much in the beginning but they sent notes to each other called palindrome. This is an example "racecar". The theme of the book is that you should never give up hope because you never know if it will work out or not. The meaning of the title is "This Is What I Did" because he feels that what happened to Zyler is his fault. I would recommend this book to people in middle school because it is kind of depressing and it has something's that elementary students might not understand. The pacing of the book is a little slow. The authors craft is depressing and it is in dialog. This book is not in a Christian perspective because it has to deal with child abuse and it also ahs some bad language. The genre of the book is realistic fiction because it could happen. The author is Ann Dee Ellis and I would rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

For the reluctant--and not so reluctant--reader:
I can see why this book made the short list for the ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Readers. The story is captivating, the characters are endearing and the writing style is amazing. It's a short book (just 176 pages) with a lot of power to it. Logan is trying to keep it together after witnessing a horrible crime, but that's not easy when he's being bullied at school, judged poorly by adults and watching his parents fall apart. And he really doesn't want to talk about it--especially to the councilor his mom tricks him into seeing. But maybe, just maybe, with the help of some people who truly care about him and a whole lot of inner strength, Logan will be able to get through this. Written in a free-verse, stream of consciousness style, Ann Dee Ellis allows you to see into Logan's mind. Even the format of the book is eye-catching: with no chapters, the sections are divided by graphics that give you clues as to what will happen next. Some palindrome notes between Logan and a girl at school also give lightness to a pretty heavy tale. This was a quick, creative book that kept me reading with anticipation to the last page and wanting more even days after finishing the book.