The Shadow Club Rising [Library Binding]

Neal Shusterman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 26, 2008

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. When the new kid, Alec Smartz, falls victim to a series of nasty pranks, everyone assumes that Jared is to blame. Jared assumes the role of ""bad kid"" in order to flush out the real culprit.

--This text refers to the School & Library Binding edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Falsely accused of playing mean-spirited pranks on new kid Alec Smaartz, Jared seeks to rebuild his reputation by enlisting the help of former Shadow Club members in Neal Shusterman's The Shadow Club Rising. His request rebuffed, the ex-ringleader must assume a role more sinister than he ever imagined in this sequel to The Shadow Club (1988), which PW called "an engrossing book," being reissued simultaneously.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grades 7-10--Murky introspection by Jared, 15, gradually reveals that he had formed a secret club of kids who were always second best during the previous year (The Shadow Club [Little, Brown, 1988; o.p., Dutton, 2002]). The members tormented their betters in small, harmless ways that then escalated out of control, culminating in a terrible fire that Jared and a boy named Tyson barely survived. The club disbanded. Now Alec, a new kid, arrives at school acting as if he owns the place. He seems to excel at everything and soon becomes a target of just the kind of pranks the Shadow Club might have pulled-a hairball in his soft drink, a skunk tossed in his family's van, glue substituted for his hair gel. Jared knows he's not responsible, but isn't sure about the rest of the crew. His attempts to ferret out the truth climax in another life-and-death struggle in which the culprits are discovered and the tide is turned in favor of good deeds instead of harmful ones. Although the theme that people can make horrible mistakes and change for the better is worthwhile, the book is marred by shallow characterization and a screenplay-styled plot that includes several incidents that strain credibility to the breaking point. In what way is Tyson "creepy" and what makes him an expert coach for Jared in how to be unwholesome? What motivates one teen to be so mean and nasty? Readers won't know much about the answers to these questions if this book is read alone. Rereading the first one sheds a feeble light, but still may leave readers languishing too much in the dark.

Joel Shoemaker, Southeast Junior High School, Iowa City, IA

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Library Binding: 208 pages
• Publisher: Paw Prints 2008-06-26; Reprint edition (June 26, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439506124
• ISBN-13: 978-1439506127
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,015,697 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Neal Shusterman is the author of many novels for young adults, including Unwind, which was an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and a Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Readers, Everlost, and Downsiders, which was nominated for twelve state reading awards. He also writes screenplays for motion pictures and television shows such as Animorphs and Goosebumps. The father of four children, Neal lives in southern California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beware The Shadow Club and Your Past--it could haunt you., March 4, 2002

By 

sharon lawrence (Downers Grove) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shadow Club Rising (Hardcover)

Having not read The Shadow Club (1988), I found this sequel able to stand on its own. In October, Jared and the six other members of the Shadow Club were suspended when the school discovered the devious doings of the Shadow Club--kids who were always second best in the student body.

It's February now, and Jared has changed his ways. The problem is no one believes him. When Alec Smartz ("It was one of those cruel parental jokes a that would be an eternal mystery. But then on the other hand, it was so obvious that only a moron who try to take advantage of it. Whenever someone called him "Smart Alec," he would say .... 'Gee that's clever...'") comes to school and is perfect at everything, the student body takes note.

Practical jokes start to plague Alec, and all fingers point to Jared. Jared tries to re-convene the Shadow Club in an effort to find the source of these attacks but the six other members want to stay as far away from their previous deeds. Jared is on his own. As the practical jokes get worse and worse, Jared discovers that sometimes telling the truth isn't enough. The Shadow Club has taken on a life of its own.

I don't want to give away the important aspects of the story, so I will jump past the exciting and surprise ending and say that I found "Shadow Club Rising" a great and believable story. Many authors would have gone over the top and made this a tall tale, but Shusterman respects his characters. I love books that feature mean kids at this age level. It is so much a part of the daily life of a junior high student. The relationship Jared has with his guidance counselor is credible. It's good to see adults who aren't caricatures.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!, June 23, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Shadow Club Rising (Paperback)

I thought this book was great. It was much better than the original Shadow Club and is filled with suspense. Sometimes it may seem violent but it was pretty good. I would reccomend this to anyone who liked read the original Shadow Club or just likes stories filled with suspense.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Try SHADOW CLUB for reluctant readers, June 2, 2008

By 

Dusty Poet Books (North Canton, OH USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Shadow Club Rising (Paperback)

As an English professor and an avid reader, it's been a source of distress that one of my grandchildren doesn't like to read. He is fast-paced and doesn't like to slow down long enough to read; like so many of my students, he'll "wait for the movie." Recently he told me that his class at school had been reading THE SHADOW CLUB and that he had been reading ahead because he loved it. I bought it for him on the spot and purchased THE SHADOW CLUB RISING, the sequel, and two other books by Shusterman as well. He was excited to have them and has told me at length what he likes about the books: the constant action and drama, the characters sympathetic to his age group (11), etc. I thank Neal Shusterman for turning my grandson on to reading at long last!