|
By: AMBER 002
|
2025-06-24 10:33:18 |
|
|
Compelling and full of feeling. |
|
|
By: PALMN 013
|
2025-05-08 10:17:22 |
|
|
Not everyone's cup of tea, but a good discussion followed. Personal experiences of tragedy were brought up. A 'Hollywood' ending! |
|
|
By: ASHB 016
|
2024-10-24 12:41:59 |
|
|
Everyone loved this book - even though it was a sad topic, it is true in today's world as these events are still happening. Great discussion. A couple thought the mother was terrible and should have been there for her child - the rest of us thought she was a human being first and it was just the way she handled her grief and nothing to do with being a bad mother. Very thought provoking as a whole. Easy style of writing to read - not sure how she could write from the perspective of a six year old but it was very well done. |
|
|
By: HOKITIK 004
|
2023-11-23 15:23:03 |
|
|
An easy read, from an interesting angle, but we felt that the observations and perceptions were not totally believable of the average 6 year old. It generated good discussion and comparisons with other texts on same topic but from different points of view eg. 'Nineteen Minutes' - Jodi Picoult and 'We Need to Talk About Kevin' - Lionel Shriver. |
|
|
By: CHCH 523
|
2023-11-01 21:11:10 |
|
|
Good, thought provoking. Not very accurate for a 6yr old's point of view though. Good discussion points. An easy read. |
|
|
By: RICH 010
|
2022-12-01 13:31:57 |
|
|
|
We all agreed that this was a compelling book about a dreadful modern reality in America, narrated through the eyes of a 6-year old who was pretty much left to disentangle the emotions of his grief alone, whilst the adults in his world fell apart in various ways. The child like narrative was a clear and useful map of dealing with the confusion of grief. Very well-written. |
|
|
By: WHITIAN 001
|
2022-10-20 10:08:14 |
|
|
|
General feeling in the group was that if Zach had been older, say 8 or 9, it would have been more plausible. But most found it an easy read and a different view point on this subject. |
|
|
By: TAUR 061
|
2022-07-11 17:06:35 |
|
|
|
Very thought-provoking and topical read due to whats currently happening in the USA re mass shootings and gun laws. Brought about lots of discussions about how people discuss big things in their lives and the grief processes. A very emotional account of a tragic situation. |
|
|
By: NELS 050
|
2022-06-16 11:39:15 |
|
|
|
A book full of tears, kindness, heartache, tragedy, and the innocence of a child all wrapped into one great read. |
|
|
By: WESTO 001
|
2022-05-18 13:03:08 |
|
|
|
Everyone enjoyed this book - a very interesting perspective, coming from the child's point of view. |
|
|
By: WHAKA 019
|
2022-05-04 16:53:30 |
|
|
|
Everyone found it interesting and a good read. |
|
|
By: NGARB 001
|
2021-10-22 09:42:08 |
|
|
An interesting approach to an emotional subject which generated some good discussion. |
|
|
By: WHITIAN 003
|
2021-08-23 14:29:33 |
|
|
|
Fabulous! Everyone really enjoyed this beautifully written book. |
|
|
By: LITRIV 001
|
2021-08-06 14:31:45 |
|
|
|
Our book had divided opinions about this book. It generated a lot of discussion on the way the parents behaved, and the availability of guns. We all thought it was a very clever book. |
|
|
By: COROM 003
|
2021-05-19 11:49:54 |
|
|
|
An excellent book, everyone enjoyed the characters and the saga that unfolded. However we did feel that it was a bit wordy, and could have been more condensed. |
|
|
By: CHCH 393
|
2021-04-16 14:57:25 |
|
|
|
Not at all what we expected to read about a school shooting. Truly fascinating viewpoint. |
|
|
By: AUCK 255
|
2020-08-19 11:36:32 |
|
|
|
Heartbreaking story, but loved the writing from a child's perspective, particularly the portrayal of emotions as colours. |
|
|
By: WANAK 008
|
2020-08-07 15:37:56 |
|
|
|
One loved it, one hated it and the rest of us hovered somewhere in the middle. We generally agreed that if we had picked it up at the library we would have put it back on the shelf having read the back cover and realised the setting for the story. However, we generally liked the story being told from the child's perspective (especially the primary teachers in our group!) but overall we found the theme very disturbing. |
|
|
By: TEMUK 001
|
2020-07-09 14:26:10 |
|
|
|
So much discussion arose from our reading of this book - especially concerning Zach's personality and perception, as well as the themes of grief and guilt. Enjoyed by us all. |
|
|
By: WELL 150
|
2020-07-03 14:28:48 |
|
|
|
Reduced us to tears - such an emotional read. This author manages to get inside a child's thoughts and perspective really well. |
|
|
By: UPHU 007
|
2020-06-22 14:32:39 |
|
|
|
Was mostly enjoyed. |
|
|
By: HOKITIK 001
|
2020-06-15 14:54:43 |
|
|
|
The majority of members enjoyed the idea of this horrific event told through the eyes of a child; a unique perspective, although two members thought it was contrived. An interesting account of a family in shock and trauma. Many members could relate to this and expressed their experiences - it brought out interesting discussions. |
|
|
By: TEPUK 006
|
2020-06-15 11:29:46 |
|
|
|
An excellent read which prompted lively discussion. The writer held the child's perspective throughout (mostly). Well crafted story of a family under incredible stress, and forced by a horrible act of violence to confront underlying tensions and issues. Highly recommend. |
|
|
By: CHCH 396
|
2020-05-13 14:25:18 |
|
|
|
This was a very good book for creating lively discussion! |
|
|
By: KATIK 006
|
2020-05-13 14:24:38 |
|
|
|
Everyone enjoyed this. |
|
|
By: LOWER 008
|
2020-05-13 14:24:00 |
|
|
|
WE all LOVED the book. Good writing - full of authentic feeling and detail. The characters develop and rub off on each other. |
|
|
By: CHCH 016
|
2020-05-12 15:56:31 |
|
|
|
A mixed response from the group. Some thought the book was very good. Others thought it was "written for book clubs" - a genre all its own, hence the questions published within the book. Another comment was that it appealed to our voyeuristic fascination with nasty things done to others. |
|
| |
