Citation: Giles, G. (2002). Shattering glass. Brookfield, CT: Roaring Book Press
Impressions: This is a very chilling book. From the very first page, the reader will discover a darkness about this novel. I think this is a good book for a teen audience. This book takes a deeper look at the darkness of people and cliques in high school. I would not recommend this book for a younger audience. There are some "adult" situations throughout the novel.
Reviews:
“Simon Glass was easy to hate . . . we each hated him for a different reason, but we didn't realize it until the day we killed him." The tension-filled story's narrator is Young Steward, a member of the cool group run by Rob Haynes, a student who transferred in and immediately took over with a wide-reaching power. Rob manages to transform Simon, the class nerd--and transform his classmates' attitude toward Simon--with the finesse of Svengali. But Simon is not content with his newfound popularity. He begins collecting information about his benefactors, and the secrets he learns about them, especially Rob and his devastating past, come out in a horrifyingly realistic scene in which the boys beat Simon to death. This first novel has flaws. Some of the adults are caricatures, and if you look too closely at the plot, you'll find cracks in places. But the pacing is superb, and the story's twists are unexpected and disquieting. Heading the chapters are the comments of those involved, five years after the event. This conceit extends the story and will keep readers wondering.”-Ilene Cooper
Cooper, I. (2002). Shattering glass (book review). Booklist, 98(13). Retrieved from Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database.
“Rob, the very popular leader of the senior class, decides for his own enjoyment to transform the not so popular class nerd into Prince Charming. What follows is a series of events that manipulates Rob's friends to carry out his wishes. The reader will soon discover that this novel is not so different from Robert Cormier's famous coming of age book The Chocolate War. The pranks, the sinister accomplishments all carefully constructed by Rob, give the reader the utmost feeling of manipulation -- very Archiesque. The problem for Rob, of course, is that all is not going to end as he has planned. His cruel challenges lead to violence and death. A compelling read -- one that is somewhat slow in the middle -- but one that moves to a tension-filled close.”-John Bushman
Bushman, J. (2002). Shattering glass (book review). The ALAN Review, 29(2). Retrieved from Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database.
Library Setting: In the library, I believe the best way to present this book is through a book talk. There will definitely be several questions to ask after the book has been read. Have the patrons discuss other options that Young, Coop, Bobster or Simon could have made rather than follow Rob's lead. Discuss what the patron could do if they ever felt that they were trapped in a bad friendship the same way the characters in this novel were.
