Customer Reviews

Inventing Elliot

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"And so I wrestle with the angel
To see who'll reap the seeds I sow
Am I the driver or the driven
Will I be damned to be forgiven
Is there anybody here but me who needs to know"
--Grateful Dead, "Victim or the Crime"

"Survival wasn't that difficult. It simply meant cutting off all the pieces of you that didn't fit. After a while, your new identity became second nature, as if you'd always been like you were now.
"The difficult part was managing and keeping apart all the different people you had to become."

INVENTING ELLIOT is a smart psychological YA thriller set in a private high school in which Elliot, a scarred victim of bullying at his previous schools, is given the chance to start over in a place where nobody knows him, and then finds that his careful efforts at creating himself a new image lead to his being adopted into the heart of the students' secret power structure where he is offered the opportunity to mete out the kind of arbitrary, sadistic punishment to vulnerable classmates that he himself had been subjected to in his previous life. Elliot's constant fear is that any reluctance to play the game will lead to his once again becoming a victim himself.

As most of us can imagine, being in his position means that Elliot will merely be trading one living hell for another. Elliot's deep fears, artfully hidden behind his newly minted veneer, are infectious. I was thoroughly on edge as I followed Elliot page by page.

"When I'm in the shower
I'm afraid to wash my hair
'Cause I might open my eyes
And find someone standing there"
--Rockwell, "Somebody's Watching Me"

Not having read 1984 since well back on the other side of that year, I was intrigued by the prominent role that Orwell's book plays in this story, with two schoolmates presenting their radically contrasting impressions of the book to Elliot. Through those contrasting visions put forth by his characters, the author provides additional fuel for Elliot's internal struggle, as well as tools for the reader to begin considering why the dynamics of bullying exist in schools and possibly why people in the larger society forever crap on each other as if it's an inherent part of being human.

INVENTING ELLIOT asks more questions than it answers. This exceptionally well-crafted tale will grab readers in its ever-tightening snare and leave them wrestling with their own beliefs about power and how it is used.

What if you found yourself fitting in with your peers to the point where you were singled out and prized for the qualities that helped you do this in the first place? What if you camouflaged your insecurity and fears so well, that you were taken for someone entirely different than who you were or wanted to be? Such is the dilemma of the 14-year-old protagonist of "Inventing Elliott." Formerly bullied at his old school, Elliott becomes first a bystander to the same type of violence at his new school, and then chosen by the leader of a secret society to become one of the behind-the-scenes orchetrators of the bullying. It isn't until this begins to jeopardize his relationship with his first girlfriend, that Elliott stops simply reacting to the events around him and begins to make his own decisions.

What distinguish this book from other similar novels that deal with the impact a powerful secret society has on a school, is the dimension of Elliott's family life. His father is recuperating (poorly) from a mugging, and this gives Elliott's reaction to being bullied a somewhat different angle.

Highly recommended.

Inventing Elliot by Graham Gardner is a riveting book, although

obvious at times. Elliot Sutton is a 14 year-old boy who's family

has just moved to a new town where he starts in a new school

called Holminster High. Here he meets the Guardians, a group of

students that rule the school; Ben, an intelligent boy that isn't

excepted by other people; and Louise, a nice girl that Elliot falls

in love with. This story is told in Elliot's perspective and can go slow at times, but still keeps you wondering what will happen next.

I thought this book was an emotional book that truly shows how cruel life can be sometimes. Through most of the book, I didn't like Elliot because of some of the choices he made and the way he was always so moody. Graham Gardner has many jobs such as a writer, an academic researcher, and a musician. Inventing Elliot is his first novel and was shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award. After reading this book i feel he really understands how Elliot would feel and does a wonderful job of showing it in the book.

I would only recommend this young adult book to sixth graders

and up because it is graphic and violent.

It is really difficult to do this terrific novel justice in this review. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and Elliott kept me enthralled. I recommend this book for young adult readers, and think that is a particularly meaningful read for males. It is written with style and strength. A fantastic novel.

Don't get me wrong. I think this is a very good book. The final confrontation/conversation between Elliot and his mother should be required reading for every teenager and his/her parents. And I think the exploration of how fear and power play into each other is a powerful one, even if it doesn't quite achieve the depths of classics like 1984 or Lord of the Flies.

I can only give the book 3 stars, however, because there were several problems with the setting. First, I could not help feeling that the voices and mannerisms and social interactions sounded much more British than American. Yet the story seemed to be taking place in America. Second of all, if it was taking place in America, the author didn't seem to know much about American schools. Most public schools do not have uniforms, and if the schools Elliot was attending were private, how could his family possibly afford them? Also, it's pretty rare to play TACKLE football in gym class (flag or touch is the norm), and even more rare for kids to put on team uniforms for gym class.

Other readers will say these are minor issues, but I disagree. They distracted me from the story, made me question the author's knowledge of the setting, and kept me wondering why the book was set in America when nothing seemed American? Was it the author's decision? If so, the editor should have talked him out of it. If it was the editor's idea (maybe because a lot of publishers are convinced American kids can't deal with any other culture), the author should find a new editor.

Having griped about all that, let me repeat that I think this is a phenomenal book. I would truly recommend it to anyone. I just wish the author and editor had made a better choice on the setting. Then I could have given it 5 stars.

Every young person want to fit in, to be accepted by his peers. When someone is not a part of the group his or her life can be fraught with misery. This is the situation 14-year-old Elliot Sutton finds himself in when he is the target of hurtful teasing by his classmates.

However, there's hope as Elliot is going to a new school, Holminster High, and he is determined to be different, to change himself so that he won't be bullied again. To this end, he adopts a facade, a tough exterior, an emotional armor to protect himself.

British actor Dominic Taylor presents a compelling reading as he segues from a cowed young man to a hardened teenager and, finally, to the voice of Elliot's conscience.

You see, it seems that there is actually no escape for Elliot as Holminster High has its bullies, too. Only, they're a bit more evil than the ones Elliot has known before. This is a group called the Guardians, no one knows exactly who they are but everyone knows enough to fear them. They're upperclass students who rule for the sake of ruling, and, of all things, they want Elliot to join them.

Can Elliot, a boy who was once a victim become a victimizer? It's often a struggle to grow, and this young man faces some difficult tests in order to do so.

- Gail Cooke

I used this book as a read aloud for eighth graders and it was a good discussion starter on bullying. It might have been better for students to have their own copy because there were many flashbacks and it was hard to follow at times.

A strong and powerful story of a secondary schoolboy, the victim of bullies, who after reinventing himself is befriended by the bullies in his new school and invited to be one of them. I found this book fast paced and compelling and always to the point.

Inventing Elliot is about a kid who wants to start a new life at a new school. This book is by Graham Gardner. The setting of this book is a school called Holminster High in the present time.

The main character's name is Elliot Sutton. Other characters in this book are his mom, his dad, and everybody in Holminster High. At Elliot's old school, he was beat up and tortured. Elliot moved. In Holminster High, he tries to blend in perfectly with everyone. But then he hears a humor. A bad rumor. People in Holminster say that there is a group of people named The Guardians. They then call to speak to him. But when they talk to him, they ask to join him. Will Elliot join the Guardians?

The main problem in the story is that the Guardians want Elliot to join them. The Guardians "rule the school." They pick people to get punished and the punishers. Elliot thought they would be a bunch of punks but they end up being upper-class men. Elliot doesn't want to join them. Will he join them?

My favorite part in this story I would love to tell you but it gives away too much of the story. I can tell you why I like it though. I liked this par tin the story because it's a surprising twist and very interesting.

I really loved this book. I rate this book three stars and I would only recommend this book to sixth graders and up. It is very graphic and violent.

Inventing Elliot is by Graham Gardner. It is about 14 year old boy named Elliot, who goes to a new school, Holminster High. He meets a bunch of bullies, and the Guardians, the men that secretly run the school. Well, he gets chosen by Richard, one of the Guardians, to be one of them. Now, he has to pick: Either be a regular school kid, or be a bully.

The Main Character is Elliot. Elliot is always curious, because he does not know what will happen. Such as when High School student Ben, a nerd that does photography (and has his own dark room), leads him to his house, he was curious because he did not know if one of the Guardians would see him. One of the other students that got picked on a lot is the raw nosed kid. He is always getting picked on. One part is when a big bully, Stewart Masters, made the raw nosed kid take a cold shower in the locker room in front of everyone.

The problem of the story is when Elliot is changed to the new school. This is the problem because there are more bullies and more violence. He will get picked on more and more things will happen to him.

My favorite part in this story is when Elliot has all this new stuff happening to him. One of those parts is when he joins the swim team. Also he is one of the Guardians and he met Louise.

I would give this book 4 ½ stars because it is my type of book, which is kind of violent, action, and suspense of what happens to the characters, and I found a lot of that in this book.