Smack :: Education by Design Store

Editorial Review
Gemma:"My parents are incompetent. They haven't got a clue..."

Tar: "I know it sounds stupid, but it was like the flowers had come out for Gemma..."

Lily: "They did everything they could to pin me down...my mum, my dad, school..."

Rob:"We stood for a while breathing big long breaths of air. It was cold and pure...You could feel it inside you, doing you good."

Customer Reviews

Awesome

2008-05-29
This is a great story that is realitic story about drugs, but not preachy. The characters are all very beleivable, and most teens will probably be able to see themselves or some friends in at least one characer. Having every chapter written by a different character also gives the reader a full circle outlook on the plot of the book. Great read

awesome book

2008-04-09
i just finished reading this book and it was absolutely awesome. very cheap came very fast!

-hollywood

This book is not Junk

2008-01-08
This was a quick read, a Go-Ask-Alice-type tome of addiction. The novel is told from multiple perspectives, but the main perspectives are from Gemma and Tar. They run away from home at 14, get in with some squatters, and before they know it, they're hooked on heroin. It's an incredibly crazy lifestyle, but Burgess tells it well. His narrative is smooth considering the constantly changing perspectives; each individual's voice is distinct.

Will leave an indelible mark on all who read it

2007-12-12
As SLJ had said "Powerful and calculated... Smack is not a lecture to be yawned through. IT'S A SLAP IN THE FACE." Smack goes into other aspects of drug addictions that many other books don't deal with, like how there is a major focus on squatting, and at the end of the book there is a note on squatting. The note on squatting also explains how it's not illegal in the UK like it is in other countries. The book shows how the characters deal with the repercussions associated with their addiction, such as stealing. The book uses many english slang terms and has a glossary to help you with some of the slang, which is very helpful for those who don't really understand the english slang. I have learned many things from Smack and many things I would have never even imagined. Smack is literally a slap in the face that will leave you thinking about it for days.

SMACK

2007-03-27
This book, is great. i would give it a 10 out of 5. i read this and couldnt out it down. first, two teenage runaways try to find shelter. they face many obsticles and make it all the way but get addicited to herion.

Dangers of Drug Addiction

2007-02-03
Gemma:"My parents are incompetent. They haven't got a clue..."

Tar: "I know it sounds stupid, but it was like the flowers had come out for Gemma..."

Lily: "They did everything they could to pin me down...my mum, my dad, school..."

Rob:"We stood for a while breathing big long breaths of air. It was cold and pure...You could feel it inside you, doing you good."

How do these teens come to run away from home? To be users? Addicts? As their stories intertwine and build, SMACK never lets up the pace. It is a book about people, families--real and those constructed by young people with no one to turn to but each other. SMACK is a book about a drug and the hold it can have. Written directly for its audience of young people and unflinching in its honesty, SMACK is the teen book of the year.

Boring! 2006-12-27
I skipped a lot of pages in this book looking for something interesting.
After this, I'm not even going to read Junk.

an amazing book! i even cried! 2006-12-18
Melvin Burgess wrote this in a way I've never seen before. He would show the story in a character's point of view and then continue the story through another character's eyes. It was a great piece of work. It showed you little by little how heroin changed their sweet teenage personalities to a full blow junkie. You get attached to the characters because you know so much of who they are and how they act, or at least I did. The ending really hit me... I got attached to the book and when I finished it and it was such a sad ending that I cried. I applaud Melvin Burgess for this beautifully written story.

Boring, boring , boring 2006-10-08
Blech. I hated this book. I read a lot of "high drama" books about teen issues as I work with teens who find themselves in this genre. Unlike Speak, or Crank, or even Cut, Smack is a book that doesn't connect with anyone. Oh, and did I mention that it is boring? Don't be misled by the other reviews, this insipid ride to unbelievable town doesn't belong on your bookshelf.

shocking, but true 2006-06-12
This book really suprised me in many ways, but mostly how I know a lot of this could really happen. "Smack" describes addiction and all of its byproducts. It is amazing how young Tar and Gemma are when they start out on a life on their own. I was also shocked to hear about their family situations. Gemma's family didn't sound so horrible. The book really captures the spontaneity of youth. Though a sad read, it's realism is worth catching.