The Worst (Team Bomb Shelter Book 3) by Mark Binder

What worked:

Most young readers probably haven’t read a middle-grade book about a school shooting. The opening chapter describes the narrator’s post-shooting, conflicted thoughts and plants the incident firmly in readers’ minds. The second chapter begins to share the final year of eighth grade, with all of the normal and abnormal middle-school behavior readers expect. Awkward feelings at a summer camp square dance and a massive snow adventure will resonate with all readers. The book’s first half may remind readers of Gordon Korman’s books featuring unique, light-hearted tales of mischievous kids. The last half of this book switches to the last day of eighth grade, the day a teenage shooter with an M-16 terrifies the school.

Readers might be leery about an author describing a school shooting to a middle-grade audience.  In this book, the event begins with the characters wandering the school, trying to avoid returning to their science class. They hear three popping sounds, and the plot becomes more intense. Part of the narrative briefly addresses the shooter and his reason for turning to violence. Resolving the situation is dangerous and tricky, but it involves one of the characters’ previous pranks. The story doesn’t get overly intense, but the climax is dramatic.

The characters are the highlight of the book. Adam is the narrator’s cousin, and he is smart, responsible, with growing skills in martial arts. Fat Charlie is talented at all sports, and he’s comfortable with his size. Helen is the only girl in the gang, and she’s confined to a wheelchair. Jesus is a world-class artist who keeps an illustrated record of the group’s activities. In all, seven eighth-grade kids are in the tight-knit group, and they constantly offer moral support to each other. They come up with crazy ideas to amuse themselves, and young readers will enjoy them. The book’s title refers to a frequent adjective used by the kids, although “the worst” can describe something good or bad.

What didn’t work as well:

Perhaps I missed it somewhere, but the author never identifies who is narrating the story. All of his friends have names, so readers are left to wonder who is sharing the tale. Perhaps the author is the narrator, but readers new to the series won’t know that.

The final verdict:

Readers may be uncertain about a book that combines humor with a school shooting. However, they’ll be amused by the group’s hilarious antics, and they’ll be impressed by how they step up in a terrifying situation. I recommend you check out this book for yourself.