The Pack by Elisa Carbone (153 pages)
Teens Omar and Becky have been best friends since early in their childhoods. They’re outcasts in their school and have been tortured by school bully, Kyle, for years. When a new student, Akhil, arrives and is different from any other student they’ve ever encountered, Becky and Omar befriend him. Akhil has strange scars up and down his arms, he refuses to sit in the chairs in the classroom, talks back to his teachers, and is the first boy to give Becky a flirtatious flutter. But, Kyle sees Akhil as fresh meat and his impending plan puts not only Akhil in danger, but everyone at the school that he has on his hit list. With an interesting approach to school violence by comparing it with a wolf pack, this novel will make the reader wonder about how far bullies will go and what students can do to stop them before it’s too late.
Miss Simer’s Rating: **1/2
