Bang! by Sharon Flake
Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children, New York: 2005
ISBN: 078681844-1

Plot Summary:
It's been two years since Mann Adler's younger brother Jason was gunned down on their front porch, but Mann and his family still feel like it was yesterday. Mann's mother still counts the days until Jason's birthday, and his father has retreated inside himself. Where they live, shootings are an everyday occurrence, and Mann and his father feel as though it's only a matter of time before Mann is dead too.

Mann is a good kid and an excellent painter. He and his best friend Kee-lee paint all the time together. When their older friend Moo Moo gets shot and killed, things take a turn for the worse. The boys start smoking pot to escape the grief, and Mann's father gets it into his head that he's going to teach the boys to defend themselves. He takes them on a camping trip and abandons them with little more than the clothes on their backs and a gun.

After a terrifying journey back home, Mann's father kicks them out again, and the boys go to live with Kee-lee's horrible Aunt Mary. She makes them paint strangers' houses, and when one old man decides he's not paying, Kee-lee has had enough and shoots him, but the man shoots him at the same time and they both die. Mann goes on the run and lives on the street, begging and stealing, until months later his father finally finds him at an abandon horse stable where they help take care of a couple of horses they used to ride in happier times. Even though they have lost so many they loved, they realize they need to be there for each other.

Critical Evaluation:
This book was really heart wrenching. I wanted to think the horrible circumstances that Mann found himself in were exaggerated, but I have a feeling they might not be far from the truth for many. The novel's ostensible question is what makes a man a man? I'm not sure that question was ever answered. Rather, we see how easy it is for a good kid to go bad, and come back again if he's not given up on. Whether his journey has turned Mann into a man is still to be determined.

Reader’s Annotation:
Mann is full of hopes and dreams for when he grows up. The only problem is, he might never make it.

Information about the Author:
Sharon Flake is the author of many books for young adults. She is the winner of the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe award and lives in Pittsburgh with her daughter.

Genre: realistic fiction

Curriculum Ties: none

Booktalking Ideas:
I would introduce Mann talk about the effect that his brother Jason's death has had on him and his family. Then I would flash forward to Moo Moo's death and Mann's father abandoning him on a camping trip and the struggles he endures fighting his way back home.

Reading Level/Interest Age:
This book could easily be read by ages 13 and up, however, the themes addressed are for mature audiences and would appeal to readers up to the age of 16 or 17.

Challenge Issues:
There are a number of items that could be challenged in this book. The violence, depiction of youths smoking pot and drinking and stealing. I would explain to a challenger the library's selection policy and have them fill out a complaint form.

Why I chose this book:
I chose this book because I was excited to see a novel by Sharon Flake written from a male's point of view.