Slave Day [Hardcover]

Rob Thomas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1997

When the high school auctions off students and faculty as slaves during a fundraiser, Keene Davenport declares the event racist and unsuccessfully calls for a boycott before deciding to buy the class president and teach everyone a lesson.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Outraged over the annual "Slave Day" fundraiser at his high school, Keene Davenport cooks up a few plans of his own in protest. Civil disobedience rarely proceeds smoothly in any environment--especially in a high school--so many surprises are in store! Told in alternating first-person narratives, this novel will take readers inside the lives of eight people (including geeks, beauty queens, football players, and one cranky teacher) as the events unfold during the strangest Slave Day ever. Here, Rob Thomas--one of the freshest voices in books for teens--explores the many facets of prejudice with grace, subtlety, and wit. A lively read!

From Publishers Weekly

At a Texas high school's annual auction, teachers and student council members go to the highest bidder. "The book will be welcomed by readers looking for a reflection of their own struggles," said PW. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; 1st edition (April 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689802064
• ISBN-13: 978-0689802065
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,416,120 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars thrilling, fun, and entertaining, November 19, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Slave Day (Mass Market Paperback)

"Slave Day" by Rob Thomas is an excellent read for teenagers and young adults. If you were a childhood fan of the Sweet Valley High or Babysitter's Club collections, you'll enjoy how this novel takes high school life to the next level. Focused on Lee High School in South Carolina, the book offers insight to the minds of eight different people: seven students and one teacher. Rob Thomas tells the story of a controversial school event, "Slave Day", where participants can purchase Student Council members as their complete and utter servant for 24 hours. However, conflict arises when Keene Davenport, an African-American student, is angered by the degrading affair and plots to put a permanent end to Slave day. Each character falls under a typical high school stereotype: there's the popular cheerleader and football player couple, the computer geek obsessed with sci-fi, and the history teacher who doesn't cut you any slack. But the characters aren't over-exaggerated or unbelievable. Thomas's authentic detail and description allow you to relate to the individuals. I found myself thinking, "Wow, I know someone exactly like that person". Another aspect of this book that I enjoyed was the humor. There was a scene where Mr. Twilley, the aloof history teacher, was chasing a student while wearing an Indian headdress and carrying a cap gun; all in the strange spirit of slave day. There were several other amusing episodes that kept me snickering to myself throughout the novel. I'd have to say the only shortcoming of this book was its abrupt ending. Overall, I give it a 9 out of 10 for the fun time I experienced reading it.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but he's done better, September 11, 2002

By 

Sidney (Boston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Slave Day (Mass Market Paperback)

Rob Thomas is like the Midas of teen lit. Every book Rob Thomas touches turns to gold. This is no exception. The plot and idea for the book is very diffrent and interesting, and the book keeps you guessing and interested. It's fast-paced, with many plot twists and great dialog, as usual for him.
But, it isn't as good as his books like "Rats Saw God". It tries to be funny, but doesn't always succead, and some of the characters can be aggrivating. Those are the only draw backs, though. Still an awsome read.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Slave Day, what I day it was!, December 19, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Slave Day (Mass Market Paperback)

Slave Day by Rob Thomas, an excellent novel with quality points of view from eight different students and teachers at Lee High School. This story is ideal for mature, young adults, as it does contain some sexual situations. Structurally, as I mentioned before, the book is divided into eight separate and unique points of view, including seven students and one teacher. Each of the characters represents a typical high school student, such as the computer geek, the sexy brunette, and the self-absorbed jock. One literary device used was repetition, for example, if an action of one of the characters caused a disturbance, and then the point of view switched to another one of the characters, the new character would notice the actions of the previous. One of the most prevalent emotions stirred is humor, which is used to keep the reader's attention. Tommy, the trailer trash high school student bought Mr. Twilley, one of the teachers as his slave for the day. He made Mr. Twilley perform acrobatic stunts in front of the student body, causing mass hilarity. For my overall impression, I found this novel to be enthralling and absorbing, an excellent read for a young high school student. In the end, all parties are satisfied, although I will not tell you in which ways. One thing I did find problematic about the story is the happy-go-lucky conclusion. It seems that the ending of every novel should leave room for wonder and guess, but perhaps a good ending is a prerequisite for young adult literature.