Grass
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Review
`A gutsy, uncompromising slice of teenage life' --The Children's Bookseller
`Tackling weighty topics, this is a simple and effective thriller'
--Big Issue, Scotland
'Macphail handles her gritty material - particularly the machinations of gangland - with skill, her sense of setting is well sustained and she gives us a novel which satisfyingly blands crime and thriller genres'
--Books for Keeps
`Gritty and realistic . . . The best of her books so far . . . roll on the next book!' --Teen Titles Magazine
`I really enjoyed this book, it created lots of tension and the author portrayed Leo's emotions well'
--Teen Titles magazine
`Cathy Macphail makes the story believable and thrilling at the same time'
--Teen Titles magazine
`Tackling weighty topics, this is a simple and effective thriller'
--Big Issue, Scotland
'Macphail handles her gritty material - particularly the machinations of gangland - with skill, her sense of setting is well sustained and she gives us a novel which satisfyingly blands crime and thriller genres'
--Books for Keeps
`Gritty and realistic . . . The best of her books so far . . . roll on the next book!' --Teen Titles Magazine
`I really enjoyed this book, it created lots of tension and the author portrayed Leo's emotions well'
--Teen Titles magazine
`Cathy Macphail makes the story believable and thrilling at the same time'
--Teen Titles magazine
Product Description
It would have been hard to have missed what was written on the wall. Painted in giant whitewashed letters: 'SHARKEY IS A GRASS'. I hadn't a clue who Sharkey was, but I knew one thing. 'Sharkey's a dead man,' I said. Leo knows the value of never grassing and that you never grass on your friends. Everybody, too, knows the gang leaders in town. And you don't grass on them. Not unless you don't value your life - like Sharkey. And then Leo is unlucky enough to witness the murder of one gang leader by another, a man called Armour. Leo is petrified as he realises what he is witnessing and even more petrified when he realises that Armour has seen him. Sure that he is drawing his own last breath, Leo silently says goodbye to his family and everybody he knows. But all Armour does is wink at Leo, very slowly, and leave the scene of the crime. Leo draws a long breath of relief. He has got away with it. But he hasn't - not really. Leo will live to regret that wink and realise that Armour has an insidious hold on him and his family, which will test his family relationships, and his very sense of what is right and wrong. It will take bravery, luck and sheer daring to extricate himself from Armour's deadly web. A riveting and hard-hitting new novel from Cathy MacPhail.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Grass is a quick read with a surprisingly mature theme. It covers murder, gangs and violence, and isn't what I expected from a book set in the UK. I know gang warfare is present everywhere, but it seems to be more prevalent in other countries. To think that this also goes on here in England is shocking, and not something I'd given much thought to before.
By accidentally witnessing a murder, Leo is tangled up in a life he doesn't want. He's bribed, blackmailed, and scared into doing things - and for what? So an adult won't end his life sixty years too early? It's an unpleasant scenario, but is one that instantly grips the reader, and leaves you wondering just how Leo will get out of this situation.
Leo's a typical teenage boy, and is an easy character to relate to. How many of us have seen things we shouldn't? It's just something that happens, though normally it doesn't lead to death threats and murders. Leo was my favourite character, and I thought the way he wanted to keep his fear to himself to protect his family was admirable. Armour, the gang leader, had the perfect mix of personalities: one minute he could be nice, the next he was manipulating Leo like it was nothing. He was a character I found hard to hate, and I think that's because of the glimpses into his family life.
Cathy MacPhail knows how to leave you questioning everything you know about right and wrong, and succeeded in presenting an ambiguous look at gangs and their motivation. I really liked her hard-hitting, gritty realism, as well as her knack for turning a simple concept into a much more complicated story of trust and bravery. I'll definitely be checking out more of her books!
By accidentally witnessing a murder, Leo is tangled up in a life he doesn't want. He's bribed, blackmailed, and scared into doing things - and for what? So an adult won't end his life sixty years too early? It's an unpleasant scenario, but is one that instantly grips the reader, and leaves you wondering just how Leo will get out of this situation.
Leo's a typical teenage boy, and is an easy character to relate to. How many of us have seen things we shouldn't? It's just something that happens, though normally it doesn't lead to death threats and murders. Leo was my favourite character, and I thought the way he wanted to keep his fear to himself to protect his family was admirable. Armour, the gang leader, had the perfect mix of personalities: one minute he could be nice, the next he was manipulating Leo like it was nothing. He was a character I found hard to hate, and I think that's because of the glimpses into his family life.
Cathy MacPhail knows how to leave you questioning everything you know about right and wrong, and succeeded in presenting an ambiguous look at gangs and their motivation. I really liked her hard-hitting, gritty realism, as well as her knack for turning a simple concept into a much more complicated story of trust and bravery. I'll definitely be checking out more of her books!
Format:Paperback
This book follows the story of Leo who has a pretty ordinary life.
He lives at home with his parents and 5 year old brother, goes to school. and has a best friend who he likes to explore abandoned buildings with.
One day Leo witnesses a violent murder and his life is turned completely upside down.
Before he knows it he is working for one of the local gang leaders and going against everything he has ever been told about what is right and what is wrong.
I really loved this book, it is set in and around the Glasgow area so I found it pretty easy to imagine the scenery around Leo. Some of the language used in the book is also local slang, which made it that much more interesting to me as I have never read that in a book before!
The story itself is easy to follow and the reader can see how easy it actually is for a young boy to wind up in Leo's position, being sucked into the gang world!
I really loved the ending of this book, it was very cleverly thought out and I did not see that coming at all! I would recommend this book to everyone as it has a really good point to the story, and isn't too long to read. It can be read in one sitting.
I've even got my little brother reading this book at the moment, and her loves it! Even though he has never really been interested in reading before! I think it is because it's set here where we live and Leo is around the same age as my brother, it is something that could easily happen to him!
If your looking for a book for a boy to read, I would recommend this one!
He lives at home with his parents and 5 year old brother, goes to school. and has a best friend who he likes to explore abandoned buildings with.
One day Leo witnesses a violent murder and his life is turned completely upside down.
Before he knows it he is working for one of the local gang leaders and going against everything he has ever been told about what is right and what is wrong.
I really loved this book, it is set in and around the Glasgow area so I found it pretty easy to imagine the scenery around Leo. Some of the language used in the book is also local slang, which made it that much more interesting to me as I have never read that in a book before!
The story itself is easy to follow and the reader can see how easy it actually is for a young boy to wind up in Leo's position, being sucked into the gang world!
I really loved the ending of this book, it was very cleverly thought out and I did not see that coming at all! I would recommend this book to everyone as it has a really good point to the story, and isn't too long to read. It can be read in one sitting.
I've even got my little brother reading this book at the moment, and her loves it! Even though he has never really been interested in reading before! I think it is because it's set here where we live and Leo is around the same age as my brother, it is something that could easily happen to him!
If your looking for a book for a boy to read, I would recommend this one!
Format:Paperback
I firmly am against this whole gang culture, and fortunely wasn't exposed to it during my childhood, and have only seen what the media have written and what's happened. After the Rhys Jones case, the whole nation was hit by a great tragedy. This book, Grass, by CAthy Macphail is absolutely brilliantly written, and really gets down to the nitty gritty!
Cathy has a very developed style in writing, and her talent is awe-inspiring. I love how her books are relevant in the 21st Century, and the way in which she describes the vents really wants to make the reader turn the pages drastically to find out what happend next.
A Great read, by an ever greater writer! One of my favourite books of all times, up there with the greats!
Well Done CAthy MAcphail for writing about a real issue, and one that everyone can relate with your magical words, and beautiful style of writing.
x
Cathy has a very developed style in writing, and her talent is awe-inspiring. I love how her books are relevant in the 21st Century, and the way in which she describes the vents really wants to make the reader turn the pages drastically to find out what happend next.
A Great read, by an ever greater writer! One of my favourite books of all times, up there with the greats!
Well Done CAthy MAcphail for writing about a real issue, and one that everyone can relate with your magical words, and beautiful style of writing.
x
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A fantastic read, cleverly crafted
A brilliantly written book. This would really suit teenage boy readers who are a bit more reluctant to read. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Ms. F. M. Stygall
A good book!
I have just finished reading 'Grass' with one of my pupils in the Pupil Referral Unit I teach in. It was quite an easy read with an exciting story line and lots of areas for... Read more
Published on 29 Mar 2010 by Miss S
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