Right Behind You [Hardcover]

Gail Giles (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2007

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?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up—After setting his seven-year-old neighbor in Alaska on fire, Kip McFarland spends four years in a facility for violent juvenile offenders. When he is released at the age of 14, he, his father, and his new stepmother move to Indiana, with new names. For a while, Wade enjoys a normal life. Eventually, however, despite the warnings of his therapist, he sabotages his happiness in a drunken fit of rage. After he reveals his identity, the town turns on him and his family. Now, a coastal Texas town is their final shot at starting over. The cozy community appears to be a perfect haven, but Wade feels compelled to reveal his past to Sam, the beautiful and mysterious neighbor who is winning his heart—and has a story of her own. Will she still accept him once she finds out he is a murderer? This quick read has a compelling story line, but the characters, especially the adults, are at times one-dimensional, with voices that are somewhat indistinguishable from one another. Reluctant readers will be drawn to the story's accessibility, and many teens will be pulled in by the larger questions the novel poses about innocence and acceptance. Despite its flaws, this book will be a hit with Giles's fans.—Lynn Rashid, Marriots Ridge High School, Marriotsville, MD
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Review

Praise for Right Behind You:

"This story explores, with sympathy and compassion, the nature of guilt, atonement and forgiveness." (Publishers Weekly )

"Fans will come away with a greater understanding of redemption and forgiveness." (Booklist )

Praise for What Happened to Cass McBride?:

-A New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age
-An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
-An ALA Quick Pick for Young Adults

"Compelling...will be a hit." (School Library Journal )

* "Crisply written." (KLIATT (starred review) ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (September 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316166367
• ISBN-13: 978-0316166362
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 1 x 7.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #593,308 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:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Readergirl Reviews a Teen Book, January 12, 2011

By 

Readergirl Reviews a Teen Book (Hendersonville, Tennessee United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Right Behind You (Paperback)

Let me start out by saying that I was prepared to hate this book. I have very strongly held opinions on certain things, and one of them is that it's completely unforgiveable for someone to murder a child, even if the perpetrator was a child himself. I often cling to my beliefs and stubbornly refuse to be swayed, even, I'm ashamed to admit, when someone can logic me out of them. This book shook my beliefs.

I found myself becoming so sympathetic to Kip/Wade, even if I didn't want to. There were extenuating circumstances, of course, that made Kip's act slightly different than one that might be committed by a truly sociopathic kid in training. Kip was intending to destroy something when he did it, and the fact that the victim caught fire was not intended. Does that make the act any easier to forgive or forget? No. Does it make it more excusable? No. Does it make it all right? No. But it does make the resulting journey to redemption more believable and desired.

Kip/Wade spends his years after emerging from juvenile, moving around with his family. Just because the doctor's say he's rehabilitated, the angry public do not agree. He takes on a new name, a new home, and must begin his life again battling the guilt and shame of what he did. If his journey were portrayed as anything less than grueling and remorseful, it wouldn't have been as easy to forgive him and begin to root for him. The author handles this progression through Kip's many stages of growth so thoroughly and well, that by the time the end comes, I was fully in Kip's corner.

Kudos to Ms. Giles for tackling such a difficult topic. A short Q&A is at the back of the book, in which she stated that she had received so much hate mail, mainly from outraged adults, regarding this book. The fact that she had the courage to tell such a controversial story in the face of such disapproval is great, because I would not have wanted to miss this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for Adults, too!, December 20, 2009

By 

Lynn ODell "Red Adept Reviews - A Blog" (Carolinas) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Right Behind You (Kindle Edition)

Plot/Storyline: 5 Stars

This novel achieved something rare, in my experience. It managed to be a Young Adult novel that had great appeal to adults. I didn't want to put the book down, so I read it in one day.

The story is told in a diary-like manner with Kip (who later becomes Wade) as the narrator. As a mother myself, at first it was hard to sympathize with Kip because I kept thinking of the child he killed. Fortunately, the author doesn't require any sympathy or empathy for Kip in the beginning. Kip relates what happened in a very objective manner, just getting the facts out there. Kip himself doesn't ask for sympathy.

As the story progresses, the reader becomes more emotionally invested in Kip/Wade's story. While I never quite got that other poor child, or his parents, out of my mind, I could still feel for Kip/Wade and for his parents.

This is a fairly fast-paced novel that doesn't try to linger on a lot of thoughts or do any preaching. Kip/Wade's feelings come through loud and clear without him constantly harping on them to the reader.

The ending was satisfying without being filled with saccharine. I found the entire book to be heartbreakingly realistic.

Character Development: 4 1/2 Stars

Kip/Wade was a well-developed, realistic, empathetic character in almost every aspect. The only downfall was that I found it hard to believe that growing up with the other institutionalized kids didn't affect him more. I would have thought that he would have been a little `harder' after those years.

Kip/Wade's family and friends were sufficiently developed within the storyline.

Writing Style: 5 Stars

Giles does an excellent job of getting the reader inside the mind of a young boy as he is growing up. The dialogue, while somewhat watered down to stay within the YA genre, was still fairly realistic. The descriptions were minimal, befitting the diary-style of a young boy. The sentence structure was terrific and made for a well-flowing book.

Editing/Formatting: 5 Stars

Both were of professional quality.

Rating: PG-13 for Sexual References and Adult Situations

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, December 13, 2007

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Right Behind You (Hardcover)

Gail Giles is the queen of psychological thrillers for teens. And I know that with her last release, I stated that What Happened to Cass McBride? was my new favorite Giles book. However, I've taken the liberty of changing my mind (yes, again!) and saying that RIGHT BEHIND YOU tops even that great read.

Kip McFarland lived in Alaska with his dad. His mother had gotten sick and died. His Aunt Jemma, his mother's sister, tried to insist that Kip's dad stop living like an animal in the wilds of Alaska, and instead move somewhere proper to raise her nephew. And then he did, because nine-year-old Kip killed Bobby Clarke by setting him on fire.

In Indiana, he was Wade Madison, and he lived with his father and stepmother, Carrie. He became best friends with Dave, a teacher's son. He had a pretty hot girlfriend, Lindsey (also known as AC, for Absolutely Cutest). He was the star of the swim team. And then he couldn't take his own happiness anymore, went slightly ballistic with a group of his friends, and admitted to murdering a child. It was time to leave Indiana.

Carrie's own stepfather had died, leaving her a house in Texas. In Texas, he was still Wade, but he wasn't the Wade from Indiana. And then he met Sam, a girl with tragic secrets of her own, and life changed yet again. He didn't want to be Wade, he wanted to be Kip. But not the Kip that the newspapers had made out to be a monster, and not even the Kip who had once been Wade who was friendly and outgoing and happy-go-lucky. All he wanted was a life that allowed him to accept what he had done without dying from the guilt.

Get a copy of RIGHT BEHIND YOU. Read it and cry, and read it and think. Kip isn't a monster, but neither is he innocent. Kip is a boy who made a costly mistake, and has been paying for it ever since. This is his story, and it's an unforgettable one.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"