The Lottery [Hardcover]

Beth Goobie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2002

Every year the Shadow Council chooses one student to be their messenger. This year's victim is Sally.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Canadian author Goobie (Before Wings) takes Shirley Jackson's classic short story "The Lottery" and transposes it to a YA problem novel; the results are intriguing in spots, but the happy ending lacks the original's impact. While the principal and teachers look the other way, the Shadow Council (aka "S.C.") rules Sally Hanson's high school, targeting other students for exceptionally cruel pranks. Every year, S.C. holds a lottery, and the "winner," delegated as S.C.'s messenger to fresh victims, will be wholly shunned by the student body. The dreaded role falls to Sally, and the attendant trauma and confusion compound Sally's mysterious problems (toward the end of the novel, readers learn that she was in the car with her alcoholic father when he fatally crashed seven years earlier and that she has felt responsible for his death). Playing pivotal parts in this dense drama are Sal's older brother who, along with his best friend, has a dark past history with S.C. (this, too, emerges at the end); a double-amputee fellow clarinetist in the school band; a mysterious classmate who turns out to be autistic; and the chameleon-like S.C. president, who plays first trumpet in the band and asks Sal to help him perform the duet he has composed. Though burdened by heavy-handed symbolism and extraneous detail, the novel raises potentially provocative questions about free choice, self-knowledge and guilt. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up-Goobie pays homage to two modern American classics by marrying the "winner-as-loser" hook of Shirley Jackson's The Lottery (Dramatic, 1953) with Robert Cormier's secret school cabal of The Chocolate War (Dell, 1993). Sal, 15, is chosen to be shunned by all her classmates at Saskatoon Collegiate. This macabre social scheme functions under the guise of a legitimate school club but is actually orchestrated by the secret Shadow Council to exact personal revenge and demonstrate its power. Goobie's writing can be engaging and convincing, as in the depiction of Sal's temporary "conversion" from innocent victim to willing participant. A major subplot involves Willis, President of Shadow Council and first-chair trumpet player, who secretly befriends third-part clarinetist Sal and practices with her, culminating in a perfectly rendered duet before a stunned and appreciative student body. Unfortunately, a plethora of disparate plot elements keeps the story from flowing credibly. Sal's guilt about the death of her father in a car crash and her relationships with her emotionally absent mother, her caring older brother, a friend whose brother attempts suicide, and another friend who uses a wheelchair since his car accident while high on LSD are elements that never quite gel. Toss in the use of LSD-spiked beer as a weapon of psychological control and unconvincing coincidences, and the important idea that we each play roles as victims and accomplices in countless acts of cruelty gets lost in the muddle.
Joel Shoemaker, Southeast Junior High School, Iowa City, IA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 196 pages
• Publisher: Orca Book Publishers (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1551432382
• ISBN-13: 978-1551432380
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,568,461 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not a Winner!, January 22, 2006

By 

James N Simpson (Gold Coast, QLD Australia) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Lottery (Hardcover)

I was very disappointed with this book, it didn't really live up to its hype. Not very realistic either I mean anti bullying policies in schools for one would stop any of the Shadow Council victimisation from occurring. They'd all be suspended or expelled for doing even a fraction of what they do in this book and to enjoy a good book it really needs to be believable. Also what kind of calibre are the students in this school who would abandon their friends so easily simply because they have been the chosen lottery winner. Real friends wouldn't care what the other kids in the school thought of them they'd stick together with the victim so Shadow Council would have no effect. The whole time you are reading this book your thinking, yeah right! Not enjoyable because of this factor and the fact also that the book is pretty boring.

Anyway the story of The Lottery revolves around a powerful entity in the student body which has existed for generations called The Shadow Council. Each year a student is chosen at random to become the victim. The victim must be shunned by everyone else in the school with only students who are members of The Shadow Council able to communicate with them at the secret meetings. Meetings which the victim is summoned to and given tasks of retribution against those who are the enemies of the members or have mocked Shadow Council.

Basically pick any other book at random and you will be more likely to come across a winner. Give The Lottery a miss!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Real Winners Are The Readers, July 28, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Lottery (Hardcover)

A real heart-touching story, Beth Goobie takes on the challenge of writing about teen social issues, comflicts, drama, and things the teachers dont know about. This story is very real, i'm sure that virtually anyone who reads this will understand and can relate to the issues being delt with. The only thing I can critique on was the age reccomendation. It says for grades 9 and up but I am going into 7th and it was on our sumnmer reading list. I think this book would be better suited for more mature readers. Overall fantastic book and I can not wait to read another Beth Goobie book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An intense sentimental book, May 10, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Lottery (Hardcover)

A Review by Erin

This book is about a 15 year old girl, Sal getting chosen to be a secret societies (Shadow Council) victim. For nearly 4 months she is harassed and made fun of by the students at her school, do to the fact that she is Shadow's "victim". Her job is to deliver mischeivious duties to the students at Saskatoon Colligant High School.

The thing I really liked about The Lottery is that I never wanted to stop reading. The characters all play interesting rolls in the whole scheme of the book. I also liked how Sal, the main character goes on a spiritual journey throughout the book; and ultimately ends up changing her whole view life by the end. For example, Sal ends up forgiving herself for her dad's death. This proves a major change, since for the last 8 years of her life she had blamed herself. In addition, the vocabulary presented a challenge to my level of linguists. It forced me to learn new words and metaphors, expanding my understanding of the English language. The reason I only gave this book 4 stars, is because some of the words were a little bit too difficult for this type of book.

I believe that most people between the ages of 13-25 would like this book. I think this book is geared toward high school to college level readers. The story has and extremely deep message about high school peer pressure, and I think it would teach people is this reading level an insightful lesson about being your own person.