Egghead by Caroline Pignat

Reviewed by Lori

Egghead

Title: Egghead

Author: Caroline Pignat

Perma-Bound Cat#: 33352

Description: Three teens struggle to find their way through life with a bully.

***Canadian***

 Rubric Rating: Love 4: Love it.

Why I Read It: I was looking for some books with Bullying as the main theme and this was by a Canadian.

Lori's Notes: Freshman year in high school is not easy for anybody - but it's even worse when you have to put up with a bully, or you're best friends with a bully, or you stand up to a bully.  Devan is Shane's best friend and Shane is a bully.  Devan understands the difficult home life Shane has and knows that he needs a friend to tell him right from wrong.  William is the kid who's just a little bit odd, nicknamed "egghead" by Shane, William just tries to get through school without getting in anybody's way.  And then there's Katie, she likes Devan but doesn't know how he can be friends with someone like Shane.  She's friends with Will and tries to stick up for him but it's hard when her circle of friends start to ask her if she's Will's girlfriend and even begin to ostracize her for being his friend.  There is a lot to connect the reader to the characters in this book and to connect the characters to one another.  We can't ignore social issues - actions have consequences - even if it's not what we mean to have happened.  An excellent story told from multiple perspectives.  Each chapter is titled for the character who's perspective we are reading - William James Reid, Katie, or Devan.  To make the difference between Will and the other characters even more distinct, Will's chapters are all written in poetry.  The book highlights issues surrounding the bully, the victim, and the bystander.

Recommended Readers:  A great read for any students about to enter or who have just entered high school.  Grade 7 and Up.

Themes: Bullying, Coming of Age, Friendship, Family, Relationships, Cancer, Fitting In, Social Circles, High school, Conduct, Choices and Actions.

Cross-Genre Links:
Move: Cyberbully (2011) (Made for TV)
Movie: The Breakfast Club (1985)
Movie: Mean Girls (2004)
Movie: Tagged: The Jonathan Wamback Story (2005) (Made for TV)
Music: Talk me Down by Alyssa Reid
Music: True Colours by Artists Against Bullying (or Cyndi Lauper)
Music: Titanium by David Guetta featuring Sia
Media Search: Amanda Todd
Media Search: Help for Bullying

Resources: Kids Help Phone 1-800-668-6868
                       Stop a Bully: stopabully.ca

Possible Discussion or Essay Topics:
  • Everyone should be able to relate to one of the characters in this novel - you may have known a bully, been the victim of a bully, seen someone being bullied, or even been a bully.  What was your experience?
  • What would you do if you were William?  What could he have done to get help?
  • Why do you think the author chose to use poetry for Will's chapters?  Does it make his perspective easier or harder to understand?
  • How do parents figure into this novel? (Absent, Ignorant, Abusive, Supportive, etc)
  • Why do you think the author chose not to have chapters for Shane?
  • How are Devan and Katie's characters alike and how are they different?  

Other Titles by Caroline Pignat:

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