When he was nine, Kip set another child on fire. Now, after years in a juvenile ward, he is ready for a fresh start. But the ghosts of his past soon demand justice, and he must reveal his painful secret. How can Kip tell anyone that he really is–or was–a murderer?
- ISBN: 9780316166362
- Author: Giles, Gail
- Published: 2007 , Little, Brown Young Readers
- Themes: Identity, Redemption, rejection, secrets
- Descriptors: Intermediate (ages 9-14), Realistic Fiction, United States
- No. of pages: 304
When I read a summary of this book I was immediately intrigued. Like the comment above mentions, I wondered how can anyone really move on after killing someone? Kip’s actions affected many people, but he was too young to really understand all of the consequences. Not only does Kip have to deal with the fact that he murdered a young boy, he also has to deal with the fact that his father’s life was turned upside down and he is now full of guilt, the family of the young boy he killed is grieving and angry, and Kip himself has to learn to forgive himself in order to move on with his life. This book made me think about what I might take for granted in my own life. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to read emotional and thought provoking novels.
How do you move past killing another human being? In this emotion ripping novel, nine year old Kip, in a rage, kills his seven year old neighbor. Because of mitigating circumstances, Kip’s mother had recently died and his young age, Kip is sent to a juvenile detention center for four years. Upon his release, he joins his father and step-mother in a new town where he can rebuild his identity; however, his secret gives him no repose. He eventually reveals it at a campout with a group of friends and almost immediately he is no longer viewed as their “friend”; instead he is a “child murderer” and his family is forced into moving again. Througout the novel, Giles peels away Kip’s identity–from the literal changing of his name to Wade to the viseral understanding that deep, dark secrets can rip away the soul. As Kip struggles to redefine his identity, he must forgive himself so others can, too.