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duffypratt's review against another edition
3.0
I felt sort of like an idiot when it hit me that this book actually is the high-school retelling of Shane, the western by George Stevens. I mean Shayne Blank is the name of the mysterious stranger who rides into school on his BMW motorcycle. He's not particularly special in any way, but has a distinct air of danger about him. He gets mixed up with some really bad characters while trying to help some kid who is out of his depth, and he becomes tangentially involved with everyone in the kid's family. Things escalate through a series of cool showdowns, until there is a climax, and he rides off into the sunset.
In cases like this, where the lifting is so obvious, I don't know whether to be put off by what the author has done, or charmed. In this case, I'm going to opt for a little of both. If you accept the implausibility of an itinerant vigilante student, the basic of idea of this western translates remarkably well into the high school milieu. The tale is still slight, but it works, and it's engaging. But I was also a little put off the way Hautman tried to hide what he was doing. The book opens with another cliche: flashbacks as a story is being told in a police interrogation. In this way, Hautman tries to hide the Western cliches behind some Hard Boiled Detective/Film Noir cliches.
Also, this being the third book I've read of his, I'm starting to lose patience with some recurrences: the alcoholic father, the dysfunctional family, and the use of an overly involved narrative structure, usually a very clever structure, to patch over some weaknesses in the narrative itself. I'm more and more thinking that Hautman is extremely clever, but lacks some heart.
In cases like this, where the lifting is so obvious, I don't know whether to be put off by what the author has done, or charmed. In this case, I'm going to opt for a little of both. If you accept the implausibility of an itinerant vigilante student, the basic of idea of this western translates remarkably well into the high school milieu. The tale is still slight, but it works, and it's engaging. But I was also a little put off the way Hautman tried to hide what he was doing. The book opens with another cliche: flashbacks as a story is being told in a police interrogation. In this way, Hautman tries to hide the Western cliches behind some Hard Boiled Detective/Film Noir cliches.
Also, this being the third book I've read of his, I'm starting to lose patience with some recurrences: the alcoholic father, the dysfunctional family, and the use of an overly involved narrative structure, usually a very clever structure, to patch over some weaknesses in the narrative itself. I'm more and more thinking that Hautman is extremely clever, but lacks some heart.
jeanwk's review against another edition
4.0
I liked how the story played out--almost a short story format.
ninatest's review against another edition
4.0
Honestly I picked this up at the library because it was short. I wasn't expecting much because the cover looked boring and old, but to my surprise I actually loved it.
The mysterious sense in the story is fun and intriguing. Getting the story told in two separate parts was a nice twist that I enjoyed.
The mysterious sense in the story is fun and intriguing. Getting the story told in two separate parts was a nice twist that I enjoyed.
owlshiddenlibrary's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
rcaivano's review against another edition
This was a quick read, a good boy book, with bullying, fighting, a little romance, standing up for yourself. Mikey is being bullied, and the new boy, Shayne, stands up for him, although no one really knows why.
erinlibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
This is a good example of a book that is the perfect length for the story it has to tell- not too short, not too long. The gradual increase of tension will keep you turning the pages, yet the author doesn't feel the need to drag out the story by making things overly complicated. A straight forward mystery. Well done!
While I think teens will enjoy the pacing and mystery of the story, I'm not sure if they will find the characters believable. The voices of Shayne and Mikey didn't feel like those of teenagers and Shayne's actions and motivations were a bit incredulous.
Overall, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this one to high schoolers or mature middle schoolers.
While I think teens will enjoy the pacing and mystery of the story, I'm not sure if they will find the characters believable. The voices of Shayne and Mikey didn't feel like those of teenagers and Shayne's actions and motivations were a bit incredulous.
Overall, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this one to high schoolers or mature middle schoolers.
l_aydag7's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not exactly sure what my expectations were going into this book. I definitely liked how it ended, and it was written in an interesting way where it switched between past and present a lot. Each character had depth to them, which made the story even more interesting to read and enjoy.
falconerreader's review against another edition
3.0
I was almost done with the book when I realized that Shayne is actually Shane, the lone cowboy I read about in freshman English lo these many years ago. Which explains why he wears all black.
sunbear98's review against another edition
4.0
I love Hautman's stories. This one keeps you guessing until the end.
jemilabereadin's review against another edition
4.0
This was a really good book! I enjoyed Mikey's constant sarcasm and humor as well as Shayne's vigilante persona. It was fun guessing what would happen next and in the end, it wasn't anything like I was expecting.