Giles is so sly with the naming of this book. She accomplished what I think she sought out to which was to make me feel for the main character. Not everything is so black and white. I wasn't amazed by this story, but I'm not disappointed I read it since Kip/Wade always kept me intrigued with his story.

(Longer review to come) ( )

'Right Behind You' is another book from the 'Great Books for Teens' discussion group I picked.

The story starts out with a young man handing his story (the book) to someone else and telling them they need to read it. The book is him trying to relate the events of his life to this new friend. But Kip's life has been anything but fun. When he was 9 years old, he got angry at another kid and, in a fit of rage, set him on fire. He is sent to a juvenile prison and spends the next 4 or so years there. Eventually, he is deemed well enough to leave and goes back to rejoin society.

Another book that I was surprised I enjoyed! Gail Giles' writing is clear and quick. The chapters are short but leave you wanting more. The only complaint I have is the "reader" of the story. They disappear and reappear from the narrative at inconsistent intervals. It made that part seem a bit stretched. I think it would have been better just to leave this piece of the story out. Or perhaps to just bookend it with them getting the book and maybe their reaction to Kip's story at the end.

All in all, this book was a quick, enjoyable read. Clearly it comes from the dark side of the YA shelves, but I felt that you could identify with Kip and that made it work. The conclusion wasn't as satisfying as the rest of the book, but if you can ignore the last page, you have a solid read on your hands.

Originally posted on orangerful.vox.com ( )

A so-so book. I really didn't get to emotionally invested. It is shelved at my local library in the Young Adult section, however, I found it to be more simplistic and Juvenile. the best part was the time he spent in the ward and I would have liked that time to have been more fleshed out. Hell of a life though. For not only Kip but for his family as well. ( )

I liked this book because it showed how a boy had to work through a horrible incident that he had caused and how it effected his whole family for years. It may be difficult for some teens to read but it does have good lessons to be learned. I think it would be a good book to use for a teen discussion group. ( )

I'm a bit phys co I like creepy books like for this book ''Right Behind You ,Gail Giles". I read a lot of books really fast and I took a while to get in this book and i think that's the best part of this book. ( )