This edition of For the Guys is a Review!
Title: The Dead BoysReleased: Sept 2010
From GoodreadsMy Review
In the desert town of Richland, Washington, there stands a giant sycamore tree. Horribly mutated by nuclear waste, it feeds on the life energy of boys that it snags with its living roots. And when Teddy Matthews moves to town, the tree trains its sights on its next victim.
Oh my goodness what a book! I started reading it on Sunday evening and didn't stop until I was done. At first I found it super creepy. When I was little I was very easily scared by noises outside my window, so one of the first scenes with him in bed at night had me curled up in the the corner of my couch eyes wide heart pounding! Ok I did calm down after that but as Teddy met the different boys I kept wanting to yell at him to run, run away fast! I think the worse came when headed out in the middle of the night. I would've stayed home and shook in my bed, but Teddy was very brave and wanted to figure out what had happened.
Beyond all the creepy and scariness, I really liked Teddy the main character. Like I said, he was brave but he was also smart as he tried to figure out how to undo what had been done. He thought on his feet, went forward when he could've gone back and cared about more than himself. How could you not like a character like that!
In the end I really enjoyed the story. From page one it grabbed me and took off. I loved how quickly the action started - if you don't like reading it would be great for you! It was exciting and scary and it held my attention the whole time (remember I read it in one sitting!) I will admit a few times I got confused but I think it was more because I was reading so fast since I really needed to know what was going to happen. The story wrapped up well, and I was satisfied with the outcome.
Final Thought: My heart still pounds a little faster when I think of the story
Best stick-with-you image: The black widow spider and.... well read it to find out
Best for readers: who are ok with being scared
Best for ages: 11+
I really enjoyed this book and it has been very popular with my 8th graders. Great review!
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