Customer Reviews

Plague Year

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I liked the book and the story captured me right from the beginning. This book was about rushing to judgement based on looks, and intolerance for someone who is different. It reminds me of what came out of Columbine. Bran is different and people don't want to accept him. Then they find out an awful truth about his father and in a rush to judgement decide he must be just like his father. This one I recommend to students from the 7th grade level up, as well as all teachers and parents.

Plague Year was an interesting novel about a strange new kidnamed Bran Slocum, who happens to be the son of a suspected serialkiller. It reminded me some what about how kids today act around people that some steyrotype as "weird". That was what Bran was named the first time he came to a new school. This novel mostly deals with Bran's struggles to over come his bullies, and his fears. I would reccormend this compelling novel to people who enjoy real life situations.

I read this book in one sitting, I must say, that I was surprized with this book. It is like what I see in the world. I think that anyone who is prejudiced against anything should read this, then you may see what can happen to your sleepy little community, I think that Ms. Tolan is a wonderful writer. I say this book should be read by all people who have prejiduce. Bravo! this is a wonderful book
Inge Wyss

I, like the other person who reviewed this book, read it in one sitting. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it completely dragged me in. It is frightening though to read, and to know what can happen when the adults, and not the children surrender all morality and humanity. I also came away from reading this book slightly scared, because i live in a small town community, and i know that something very similar could happen in my community.

When you read The Plague Year, many questions come to your mind - Have I done anything like this? Do I judge people because of their family? Do I listen to gossip and act before learning the truth? How would I feel if this were to happen to me? Stephanie Tolan raises those questions and more in her novel. Bran Slocum is an innocent boy whp eventually pays for the crimes of his father. Molly and David try to help him but do they succeed? This novel is indeed a "teaching" novel because you will learn many things about yourself, society, the media and about how others may view you. I highly recommend this book to all.

This was one of the better books I have ever read . My favorite part was when Bran was getting beat up at the quarry and they fell in the water, but nobody helped Nick after he killed Bran and Nick ended up drowning. I think the book had a good moral to it. It tells you not to judge people for the way they look or even by there family. I felt bad when Bran was getting beat up and harrassed by the whole town just because his dad was "supposedly" a serial killer. I would recommend this book to anyone.

I teach ninth grade English. I have used this book for several years, and my students love it. Like many of the reviews I have read here, my students struggle with the ending. They want everything to be okay in the end. Unfortunately, that's not the way life often works, and the characters of this book discover that very thing. This book also strikes close to home for many readers since it deals with the responsibility of the silent majority and going along with the crowd. It is a great book and teaches some great lessons. It provides a wonderful springboard for discussion with my students.

Near the beginning of David's junior year of high school, a new kid moves into his town and into his homeroom. Bran Slocum is unlike the other kids at their school. He has long hair and an earring, and one eye that wanders so it never seems to be facing in the same direction as his other eye. Right from the beginning of his year, he is a target of the football player bullies at school, who make fun of him and beat him up simply for being different. Bran never tries to defend himself; he is quiet and reserved. David's friend, Molly, an outcast herself, befriends Bran and tries to defend him from the others in their school. She pressures David to do the same, but he is unwilling to put himself into the line of fire and he figures his friendship won't make a difference, anyway.

Then reporters arrive at the school with a story that Bran is the son of a serial killer gaining national attention. This man was brutal--he picked up runaways and tortured them before killing them and burying them in his yard. The rumor that Bran might be his son cause his life to be even worse. In the face of all of this controversy, David decides maybe his friendship to Bran might make a difference after all.

This story was unique and Bran was an interesting and very sympathetic character, trying to escape from the crimes of someone out of his control. However, there was no sort of redemption in this story. Someone other than the narrator should have changed and grown throughtout the story. I hated the ending, and I couldn't understand Molly's strange relationship with David.

In real life things like this happen. A new kid who everyone thinks is weird is judged as soon as he is moved to a new town to get away from his problems. No one likes him because of the way he dresses, the way he wears his hair, and even his earring. From the first day he was at his new school he was judged, stereotyped, and even tormented. The "popular" kids did not like him because of the way he felt most comfortable with himself. But he refused to change just to fit in. A girl whom befriends Bran with no questions asked, finds out who Bran really is and tries to get her bestfriend to like him his also. David also begins to like Bran, but its was too late to help him. Everyone can relate to at least one character in tis book. Whether it be the cheerleader, outcast, the wannabe, or the sympathetic "geek". Because each one of us goes through something like this in our everyday life, it just sometimes does not get this bad. And I believe the author is trying to show us what happens and for us to try and prevent this from happening.

A new boy, Bran Slocum was different. He had a secret and when everyone found out about it, it got bad. Stephanie Tolan described everyone and the plot very well, but I just did not get into this book. I don't think this book was very realistic because people didn't act that way then. If this was set back in the 50's it would of been perfect time period. This book had me thinking at the beginning, but towards the middle it went bad.