Friday, February 28, 2020

Shattering Glass by Gail Giles

Title: Shattering Glass
Author: Gail Giles
Publisher: Square Fish
Publication Date: January 6, 2015 (originally 2002)

Format: Trade Paperback
Price: $10.99
Page Count: 240 pages
ISBN-13: 9781250060006

Reading Level: Grades 9 and up (ages 14+)
Lexile: 590L
Interest Level: Grades 9 and up (ages 14+)

Annotation: When Rob decides to turn nerdy Simon into a popular kid, he knows everyone will follow his perfect plans. That is, until him and his friends end up killing Simon.

Plot and Content Summary: Simon, known as a big loser, is constantly picked on and made fun of at school. But one day, a transfer student who quickly became a leader in the senior class decides to try and turn Simon into someone cool. Along with three of his "friends" (or rather, followers), they set out to change the way Simon dresses and acts. However, they did not expect Simon to manipulate the entire situation. With Simon gaining new confidence, Rob's plans quickly go down in flames.

Evaluation: Shattering Glass takes the classic "makeover" story and turns it on its head with the added layers of mystery and intrigue. Typically, Simon's character would be receptive and willing to adjust under the guide of Rob and his friends. He should be thankful they want to make him cool, right? But Simon is his own person, and Rob and his friends play right into his hand. Simon is the one bullied in the beginning of the story, but that changes when he gets into Rob's inner circle. It was very twisted the way Giles used each friend to get back at Rob—slowly at first, until it became so big that Rob could not control it. Unfortunately, the ending was disappointing. We know Simon's fate, which is given to us in the first paragraph, so the mystery is in finding out why it happened. While there was intensity in the build-up, the reason for Simon's death was unfortunate but lackluster and unconvincing.

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Manipulation is a theme that is constantly running through Shattering Glass, and this is a form of bullying that can be harder to recognize. Rob is using the situation with Simon for his own personal gain, and his friends are only pawns in the game he is playing. Simon appears to be kind to Coop, Young, and Bob (i.e., taking the ACT test for Coop so he could receive a higher score), but his actions are actually revealed to be selfish. For teens who are trapped in these situations, perhaps Shattering Glass can open their eyes so they can see what true friendship is.

Issues Present: Shattering Glass is a book about bullying, abuse, and manipulation. This book could potentially be challenged or banned because of these reasons, assuming that adults would not want teens to repeat these scenes in real life. But bullying happens too often in high schools, with students like Simon, who are quiet and passive, as victims. Shattering Glass shows the impact of bullying and what it could potentially lead to. All five characters—Simon, Rob, Coop, Young, and Bob—were affected in negative ways. By allowing access to this book, teens can be aware of the consequences.

Book Talk Ideas: "Simon Glass was easy to hate. I never knew exactly why, there was too 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." (p. 1)

  • Was the portrayal of bullying realistic? Why or why not? (p. 1-5)
  • Simon is the one bullied in the beginning of the story, but how does that change as we progress?
  • Why do you think it was so important for Rob to make Simon the prom king?
  • Why was Simon willing to let Rob and his friends change him?

Genre/Subgenres: Realistic fiction; Thriller/suspense

Readalikes: You by Charles Benoit, Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard, I, Claudia by Mary McCoy

References
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