So this was a book that I stumbled upon at the Goodwill while scouring the shelves for a different book. I grabbed it in greedy excitement because I had no idea this book existed. The Shadow Club Rising is a sequel to The Shadow Club, which was a book we read as a class like in 5th grade. It's also one of the few books that has stuck with me and I still read every few years or so. The Shadow Club and Rising aren't necessarily really well written or extraordinary books and to be honest I'm not positive why they resonate with me or why I like them so. They are young adult books that are essentially about bullying. They're a bit over-dramatic and it's a struggle to remind myself that the characters are only 14 not 16/17 which the maturity level in the books would make you think. And I personally think there is a big age difference between 14 and 16 or 17. The Shadow Club is about a group of kids who, annoyed and fed up with always coming up just short to a few fellow classmates who rub their noses in it, decide to band together and pull a few harmless pranks. Of course the pranks begin to escalate to a dangerous level. Jared, the second best runner in school, is the leader and main character. There's also the second best basketball player, second smartest person, second best swimmer, etc...Rising takes place about four months since the fallout of the first book. A new kid, Alec, has come to school and is pretty much perfect. Best athlete and smarter than the smartest kid. And he knows it. And he's a big jerkface. Not surprisingly. It doesn't take long for pranks to start happening to Alec. The suspicions immediately fall back on Jared, who took most of the blame for the previous books events. Turns out the Shadow Club didn't die, but secretly grew and became something much more sinister. This book takes a much darker turn than it's predecessor which I think for a young adult book says a lot. Like it's predecessor Rising is over-the-top, but then again in days like today when we are flooded by the news with stories of unimaginable acts committed by teens to other teens, maybe it's spot on. And the first was written in 1988. It's a very interesting look into the impact of what sociologists call "mob mentality." A phenom I believe to be most strong in teens as they are at the epicenter of social pressure. Maybe that's why my teacher had us read that book. Maybe she was trying to show us that it's ok to not be the best and that you can have a voice and go against the crowd rather than be swept away. Maybe not. I don't remember any of the classroom discussions that I'm sure we had while reading this book, so I can't say if we talked about bullying or anything like that to say that we read this book as a prophylactic. I also can't say if it would really work. I really only read deeper into the social aspects of this book today when I read Rising from start to finish. (It's a very quick 200 page read.) I just liked this book. No real rhyme or reason to why. I just did. Made me want to read the first over again and I think I will since I have nothing else to do before a big night of Canasta tonight. I give The Shadow Club Rising three sticky gold stars.
Пет звезди никога не са много щом става дума за Нийл Шустерман. ( ﾉ^ω^)ﾉﾟЕстествено (или може би не), тази книга ми хареса повече от предната (за която доколкото помня не съм писала нищо, поради дните ми на мързелуване и заетостта ми в Скайрим по Коледа). Дори се замислих дали да не сваля една звезда от първата книга, но се отказах. Neal Shusterman deserves all the stars in the world. φ(．．;) Историята уж беше приключила, но всъщност нещата са много по-сложни отколкото всички са си мислили. Под привидното спокойствие започва да бълбукат планове, които дори бившите членове на Клуба не са си и мечтали да осъществят. Джаред се превръща в жертва на подозрението на всички около него и решава, че е време да сложи край на това като разкрие истинските виновници. Но не е толкова лесно, когато някой почти умира, а градът е подложен на постоянен терор.Тази книга просто показва за пореден път как омразата заслепява дотолкова, че си готов да унищожиш всичко, което някой обича, дори да убиеш някого, без да мислиш. Просто понякога става така, че човек може да загуби себе си в някоя емоция и колкото по-негативна е тя, толкова по-тежки са последиците. А когато импулсът отмине, остава само вината, всепоглъщащата вина след като се осъзнае стореното. Има и друго, т.нар. mob mentality (забравих как беше това на български (｡･･｡)) - как тълпата контролира емоциите и действията на отделния човек и как това води неотменно до ескалиране на каквото и да било. Доста си е плашещо. Нийл Шустърман засяга толкова много теми свързани с насилието, с подозрението и недоверието, с несигурността. Хареса ми развитието във връзката на Джаред с неговите родители, както и тази с Грийн и с Тайсън. Беше едно интересно преживяване.
What do You think about The Shadow Club Rising (2003)?
Once again a book a read the sequel but not #1. It actually wasn't half bad not knowing the beginning. It gave me an air of mystery...but I wasn't so confused that I put it down. I liked it very much. It had a chilling feel to it but it's not a horror or anything like that. It's just a little psycological. The main character is thought to be mentally insane by some. But really a pretty sweet kid I concluded in the end. (Not a spoiler...don't freak out) Check it out. Though, may I suggest reading the first one...first? :)
—MizziQ
I've become a total Neal Shusterman book addict. I liked this sequel to "The Shadow Club" even more than I liked the first book in the series. Like the first book, it deals with jealously, bullying, how seemingly harmless pranks can blow up into major crises, and the problems of peer pressure and judging others. The sequel was a little more complex than the first book, with more twists and turns in the plot. Another excellent book by my newest favorite author. Highly recommended for older kids/young adults.
—Jennie
I read The Shadow Club waaay back in the day and was worried I wouldn't remember enough to really get into the sequel. I decided to give it a go without rereading the first book anyway and was pleased with the job Neal Shusterman did of recapping the first story in little snatches - it was enough to jog my memory, but not overdone. So if it's been awhile since you read the first Shadow Club go ahead and dive into this one anyway. If you haven't read the original, I do suggest reading that one first because although this book will actually read just fine on its own, it's much better as a sequel.
—Marilyn
