Theme Week Review
Reviewed by Lily
TITLE: The Red Sheet
AUTHOR: Mia Kerick (Foreword by Cody Kennedy)
PUBLISHER: Harmony Ink Press
LENGTH: 190 Pages
BLURB: One October morning, high school junior Bryan Dennison wakes up a different person—helpful, generous, and chivalrous—a person whose new admirable qualities he doesn’t recognize. Stranger still is the urge to tie a red sheet around his neck like a cape. Bryan soon realizes this compulsion to wear a red cape is accompanied by more unusual behavior. He can’t hold back from retrieving kittens from tall trees, helping little old ladies cross busy streets, and defending innocence anywhere he finds it. Shockingly, at school, he realizes he used to be a bully. He’s attracted to the former victim of his bullying, Scott Beckett, though he has no memory of Scott from before “the change.” Where he’d been lazy in academics, overly aggressive in sports, and socially insecure, he’s a new person. And although he can recall behaving egotistically, he cannot remember his motivations. Everyone, from his mother to his teachers to his “superjock” former pals, is shocked by his dramatic transformation. However, Scott Beckett is not impressed by Bryan’s newfound virtue. And convincing Scott he’s genuinely changed and improved, hopefully gaining Scott’s trust and maybe even his love, becomes Bryan’s obsession.
REVIEW:
This is a wonderful young adult, gay romance drama that gave me some insight into the mind of a bully and his victim. I really liked that the writer gave an empathic insight into the bully’s mind, actions and responses. It was a heartfelt story about Bryan, who was the bully and the school’s “super jock”. Here he was playing basketball, loved by his team and then one morning he wakes up and ‘bam’ he’s feeling like a superhero, wanting a red cape and all.
He was no longer a bully and uncooperative son at home, but a helpful, kind kid, with a lot of compassion for others. It seemed whatever happened the night before had a huge impact on his psyche, but Bryan no longer remembers his past. He was a completely new person. This change also creates a huge conflict in Bryan when he is with his basketball team members, which has an impact on all of them.
Before Bryan woke up as a virtuous young male, he bullied geeky, young gay kid Scott in front of others, but in private they had a different relationship. After he woke up, he no longer remembered his bad attitude. Bryan is now behaving differently to towards Scott, who doesn’t trust him. The story becomes even more powerful and emotional after this.
Kerick’s story raised the hair on the back of my neck and left me feeling shaken at times, but also left me deeply moved. It is very hard not to feel for Scott–– who was left traumatized ––and his bully Bryan, who was also traumatized because of his unresolved issues.
Wonderful plot, characters and dialogue. From the first page to the last, I couldn’t put the story down, hence I was up until 3.30 AM.
This book really needs to be in a school library for students, teachers and social workers!
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
Thank you, Lily, for an awesome review!! Woot!!