The Scar Boys (237 Pages)

Wow!This novel has it all! Len Vlahos has written a book that sounds like kids. It covers it all. There is bullying, family angst, School angst, friends, and it's not only a coming of age novel, it is also a story about self discovery. Written as a college essay, Harry tells the story of his own growing up in the North East of the United States. There are parts that ring with meanness, there are parts that ring with the comfort of a good friend, and tying it all together at the beginning of each chapter is a quote from a song with the song's writer(s) acknowledged. In this book, Harry is horrible damaged by a group of neighborhood boys who tie him to a tree, and then when a thunder and lightening storm develops, they run to the safety of their homes. The tree is hit by the lightening, and Harry's face and neck are burned. And this is in the first six pages. It doesn't lose any steam from that page on. Both boys and girls will enjoy the book. Parents will enjoy it also. Warning: the language is rough in a few parts. But it is so real, so appropriate, that it didn't bother me at all. This is a keeper !