Bang, Bang, You're Dead! (Unabridged) [Audio Download]

Once I started this book, I didn't want to put it down for anything. I loved everything about it, from the brilliant writing to the clever, unpredictable plot. It starts off fairly simply, but soon progresses to a conclusion that completely blew me away.

Narinder Dhami cleverly introduces us to her main characters, Mia and Jamie, by surrounding past events with a school hostage situation taking place in the present. Both characters are genuine and easy to relate to, and I really empathised with Mia and her shy, awkward nature. Jamie was an angry, distant character, but one that I enjoyed reading about all the same.

Although this book is shorter than the average YA novel, it certainly packs a lot into its pages. The multiple layers and thought processes allow for a lot of development, in relation to both the characters and the story. Mia's first person narrative is enthralling to say the least, and she's a character I would absolutely love to read more about.

I know the subject of school shootings can be a tough one to tackle, but Dhami manages to get it just right. It's not something that happens a lot in the UK, which I'm glad about, as it sounds terrifying. The event itself may be the surface focus of this novel, but it's not all it has to offer. Family values, courage and loyalty are what I took away from Bang, Bang, You're Dead!, as well as an instant liking to Dhami's writing. This one is highly recommended.

Mia and her twin brother have had a hard life growing up. Their sick mom only got better when their grandfather showed up and made her, but when he passes away, it gets bad again. Mia is meek and silent, trying to appease everyone without really doing anything. Jamie, on the other hand, is growing more and more angry and wants his mom to sit up and take notice. He's mad that Mia doesn't understand and wants to show her that she can't always rely on him...after all, what if one day he isn't there anymore?

That's why when news hits that a gunman is in the school, Mia doesn't leave like the rest of her class. She starts to wondering: is that what Jamie was planning? Is this his way to show their mom that she needs to get better?

I love to read books that deal with school shootings because they are all different in how they approach the topic. This is the main reason why I wanted to read BANG, BANG, YOU'RE DEAD! The book is told in a back-and-forth pattern for most of the novel, with the present chapters showing Mia going through the school looking for the shooter who may or may not be her brother, Jamie. As for the other chapters, they are Mia's recollections of times that Jamie showed his anger and destructive behavior...which, all added up, give a lot of support to the idea that it really might be Jamie with the gun.

I really enjoyed the chapters that showed the past, because it allowed us a look into the things we weren't privy to when first starting the book. It gives us all an idea of who Mia and Jamie are and why they would want to cause a scene. It all basically leads to their mother, who is mentally ill but won't get the help she needs. Instead, she sways between depressing can't-get-out-of-bed days and manic let's-shop-for-things-we-can't-afford days.

This is a really fast book and I definitely enjoyed reading it. I should warn that some of the present chapters get a bit tedious, as you really just want Mia to figure out who the shooter is and what's happening or will happen after this.
Once the moment arrives, though, it's all worth it.

Believe me, this is one book that is sure to be a hit with a lot of people because it's not easy to figure out. You think you know what's going on, but in the end, do you really understand?

Reviewed by: Lauren Ashley

As an ESL English teacher in charge of purchases for our English teen library, I am always on the lookout for new exciting books for our teenagers (aged 13 to 16). English is not their native language, so sometimes the story of a book might get lost on them if they are not fluent enough in English to understand the entire book. As a rule I also read all the books that I purchase for the ESL-library in our school.

When I finished "Bang, bang, you're dead", I put it down with a bit of an unpleasant feeling. This had not only to do with the actual topics discussed in this book, but also with the way the topics are being dealt with by the author.

We learn early on in the book that Mia has been having a difficult time since her grandfather passed away. Since he died, her mother has slipped back into her old habits of refusing to take her medication, and refusing to go to the doctor to get back on her meds. Her mother is bipolar, which causes some very uncomfortable situations that she and her brother Jaimie end up in. Mia is being bullied at school; her brother accuses her several times of not being able to stand up for herself; of dealing with her mother in the wrong way, etc. This leads to the very traumatic experience of the "school shooting", that she gets involved in and that she feels her brother Jamie is responsible for. I do not want to spoil the ending, but I do want to mention that the way the author leads us, writers, to the ending is really a bit of a miss. Not only is the ending too sudden, we also do not really get an insight in the 'after'... and with the topics that are being dealt with, that's exactly what the author should have done (again, without wanting to give away what the ending really is). Mia's mom's bipolarity is dealth with adequately enough (even though we are no shown too many of the details either), but Mia's story leaves me with a very awkard aftertaste, because of the lack of 'afterthought'.

Also, something that really bothered me in this book (or the edition I read of this book in any case), was the sloppy editing job that was done: there are still numerous spelling mistakes, which just detract from the actual story. Very unfortunate.