Customer Reviews

Drive-By

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am a real 'gang kid' from San Pedro California. I got my first gun when I was 8. I have been drive-byed 5 times and my best friend got killed when he was 13. My English teacher gave me this book to do a review on. I gave this book 5 stars because I think it has a good message for some kids who might think about joining a gang. But I got to say that I was dissappointed with this book becuase it is not very on tha real. You can tell it was written by a person who never lived this kind of life or had kids who did even though she might have known some kids who lived like this. But that does not make it a bad book. I think that if you liked this book and want to know more about gangs on tha real you should checkout some books by Jess Mowry like 'Way Past Cool' and 'Babylon Boyz'. There is some stuff about gangs in 'Ghost Train' too. Like I said I think this book was a good try by tha author and it has a good message but its not very on tha real if you live where I do.

"Drive-By", Lynne Ewings's first novel for children, is a brief story about gangs, told in the first-person by 12-year-old Timothy Thomas Cahill, aka Tito. While returning home from a birthday party, Tito and his 5-year-old sister Mina witness their older brother Jimmy getting shot by a passing vehicle driven by a group of local Los Angeles gangbangers. Following his brother's death, Tito and his family are forced to leave their home when the same gangbangers return to vandalize and tag their house. One of Tito's friends insists he should seek revenge for his brother's death and gives Tito a gun. But will Tito use it and give in to peer pressure just like his older brother did--or will he try to rise above the bloodshed and set things straight?

"Drive-By" is a simply-written, short book (only 85 pages) and ideal for young readers (age 10+) who don't like to read very much. Although it's quite sad--despite the somewhat pleasant ending--, there's certainly a lesson to be learned about dealing with gangs and peer pressure. If you liked this book, then you might like "Party Girl" by the same author; it also deals with drive-by shootings and gangs, but it's intended for slightly older readers (12+).

Has anyone in your family been a victim of a drive-by? In the book Drive-By, by Lynne Ewing, the threesome, which included Kelly, Gus, and Jimmy went on a walk one day. Well, when they're walking something happens. Something that's going to rock their world! Jimmy is walking in the street, which a car pulls up next to Jimmy. He starts talking to the men in the car. Kelly's brother named Gus tells them to get behind the tree. Then Kelly and Gus see flashes and hear loud gunshots like thunder. They thought it was their imagination or something else. They look from behind the tree and see blood fly and Jimmy fall to the ground. The car screeches off.
Kelly hopes she is dreaming. She just witnessed some very sick-minded animals at work. She can only hope that Jimmy was playing a joke and in the car were some of Jimmy's friends. She hopes this was a set-up and a planned joke, but her heart sank and couldn't bear the pain. She couldn't change the truth or take anything back. Maybe, just maybe there's a way for a miracle to happen. Maybe Jimmy was still alive and able to be saved by medical personnel. Ladies and gentlemen, I encourage you to read the book Drive-By and read if miracles can happen with Jimmy's life.

A Review by Teenager from North Bend, WA.

It begins with Jimmy (the oldest), Tito (the middle child), and Mina (the only daughter) walking home from a birthday party down the block from their house. Jimmy was a real jokester and always played the Claw joke, which was when he acted like he couldn't control his hand and it would go after Mina. Mina ran behind an abandoned library and Tito chased after her. It was dark out and Tito was having a little trouble finding Mina but she was hiding in the small shrub behind the old fire exit. Tito calmed Mina down and they started walking back to where Jimmy was when they heard loud music coming from a car, but it started to get louder until they saw a dark colored Chevy come around the corner. The car came at a high rate of speed before it came to a stop in front of Jimmy. There was a brief second of silence before a man in the back seat of the car leaned out the window with a gun and started to shoot at Jimmy. Jimmy fell to the ground as Tito and Mina watched in horror. The car sped off and Tito ran to Jimmy's side and checked his pulse... he was dead.

This book is a great if you like suspense and action and it has a lot of mystery. I would recommend this book to anyone and from grade 2 to 12 and if you like to read small books containing greats stories.

This is an excellent book even for teenagers! I felt like I was right there witnessing everything with this character. This is a very well written book using great discription. This is one of the best books I have ever read! It is great for all ages!

I would recommend my book Drive By because it shows the true meaning of what gang members go through. I think it shows you why not to be in a gang. You don't only hurt yourself, but also your family. I like this book because it faces reality. By me reading this book I know now to stay away from gangs! I care about my relitives much more now,because you never know when they won't be here tomorrow or won't wake up to see the next day. This book teaches that each day is a new day, so make the best of it and love all family and your enemies.

This book was great. I loved the story...it was one that kept you reading...I finished it in a day. But thats the problem. Its too short. If it were a bit longer, I'd like it more, but its great just as it is.

I like this book because it is a really good book to read.It is also good because I can imagine what I'm reading.

Drive it is a great book.I think every kid should read it, and parents

Our middle school selected Drive-By for this quarter's student book association. Several teachers used this as a read-aloud with lessons to strengthen listening skills. What was so empowering was the positive response to the theme of survival and to the subtle anti-violence message. The characters were very real and the action was non-stop. But the student response was overwhelming! We celebrated with a potluck dinner for the families, games for the kids, and each child wrote a letter to the author. We had over 100 people show up for this special evening