Hit Squad (Orca Soundings) [Paperback]

James Heneghan (Author)

Book Description

Series: Orca Soundings | Publication Date: September 1, 2003

This is Mickey's first year at Grandview High. After transferring, all he wants to do is keep his head down, work hard and fit in with the upscale crowd. He is approached, because of his tough reputation, to join a group of students to take back the school from the bullies. Mickey finds himself caught up in a shadowy world of violence and retribution. When their planned payback goes horribly wrong, Mickey is forced to acknowledge the thin line between victim and victimizer.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-10-Birgit Neilsen, gorgeous and popular, is tired of the long-standing status quo at Grandview High School. She organizes a group of like-minded students to combat the bullying and terrorism that exists, but their good intentions soon result in tragedy and the death of a fellow student. This book is obviously intended for reluctant readers. Engaging dialogue, an absorbing plot, and well-defined characters are all sacrificed to short, choppy sentences; stilted dialogue; and a message that has all of the subtlety of a hammer blow to the head. An incredibly monotonous book.
Robert Gray, East Central Regional Library, Cambridge, MN
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Review

"Heneghan poses serious questions about bullying and violence among young people." (Publishers Weekly 20031001)

"Heneghan writes in an eminently readable style without shirking from the real issues that teens are facing in schools today tightly written and instantly engaging. Highly recommended." (CM Magazine 20031201)

"Heneghan's Hit Squad is an excellent example of the hi-lo genre. Despite the genre's length constraints, Heneghan has created an engaging and believable plot populated by a cast of characters who are more fully developed than most in hi-lo books...Highly recommended." (Canadian Book Review Annual )

"Heneghan confronts increasingly serious situations for his young readers...yet his writing, catching both the cynicism and resilience of adolescence, along with trademark drama from the opening sentence onward, keeps his stories accessible and compelling." (BC Bookworld )

"This story will hit home for teens who deal with bullying on a daily basis." (VOYA )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Orca Book Publishers (September 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1551432692
• ISBN-13: 978-1551432694
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,193,160 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars If You Put A Clockwork Orange, Of Mice And Men, And The Great Gatsby Into A Blender . . ., March 14, 2008

By 

Lily Bart "lilybits" (The House of Mirth) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hit Squad (Orca Soundings) (Paperback)

Chopping up classics and smashing them into little pieces is a great way to get below-average kids to read! Mickey is a tough, smart little hood, from the wrong part of town. His hulking, moronic sidekick Hulk is always following him around, begging to tend the rabbits . . . I mean, to fit in with the gang. Then tough Mickey meets sexy Birgette, who has a green light that glows all night long at the end of her . . . uh, BMW. Birgette wants Mickey to help her beat up the bullies, so suddnely they all turn into expert car thieves and go out beating and tolchocking, just like Alex and his droogs! But two wrongs don't make a right, and suddenly for no real reason our young hoodlum/hero/gang ends up running down endless corridors, searching for a final confrontation that . . . uh, never quite materializes.

"Tell me again about the rabbits, droogy!"

"Sorry, old sport, but when Daisy told me to beat up the bullies I just couldn't help myself!"

3.0 out of 5 stars The bullied go after the bullies, August 31, 2007

By 

Dawn Kessinger (Lima, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Hit Squad (Orca Soundings) (Paperback)

The beginning of the book deals with an attack on a pretty, rich girl - Birgit, and other attacks of bullies on other students at Grandview High. I think many kids can relate to being picked on in some way - and the examples of bullying vary widely from name-calling to creative nastiness to pure mean-spirited violence.

So, some of those who have been bullied decide to create a secret team to punish the bullies. They call themselves the Hit Squad. What happens after the first "hit" makes Mickey, one of the team members, who is living with a foster family, question how much he enjoys getting revenge. He REALLY likes Birgit and wants to fit in, but sometimes he catches himself wondering about what he's doing. His foster sister encourages him to think about what he's doing when he involves an older foster sibling in a "hit" on two especially mean bulllies, but it takes a tragedy for Mickey to realize that violence isn't the answer.