Product Description

Imagine if you had witnessed something horrific. Imagine if it had happened to your friend. And imagine if you hadn't done anything to help. That's what it's like to be Logan, an utterly frank, slightly awkward, and extremely loveable outcast enmeshed in a mysterious psychological drama. This story allows readers to piece together the sequence of events that has changed his life and changed his perspective on what it means to be a good friend and what it means to be a good person.

This is What I Did: is a powerful read with clever touches, such as palindrome notes, strewn throughout the story and incorporated into the unique design of the book.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1039211 in Books
• Published on: 2007-07-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 176 pages

From Booklist
Eighth-grader Logan is struggling to deal with a violent situation he witnessed a year ago between his best friend, Zyler, and Zyler's abusive father but insists to everyone around him that he is fine. Just fine. Reluctant readers will be drawn into this story, which also includes bullying classmates and a dismal winter camping trip. Frequent line breaks, screenplay-style dialogue, and e-mails and notes illustrated with black icons break up the scenes. Logan gets to play one of the Lost Boys in the school play, and finds that the theater crowd offers a respite from bullies. A friendship with a girl named Laurel (a palindrome collector who is is thinking of changing her name to Laral), and a relationship with a counselor help Logan to begin the healing process and convince him to reconnect with Zyler. This psychological drama effectively explores our failure to protect youth from abuse inflicted by peers or adults. Caution: there's a slang term for scrotum on page 1. Dobrez, Cindy
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
Praise for This is What I Did:
* An ALA Best Book for Young Adults

* "This haunting first novel will grip readers right from the start." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

* "Ellis's outstanding novel marks her as an author to watch." - VOYA (starred review)

*"This is an original story, and it's told in an offbeat and original style... Reluctant readers will particularly appreciate the blend of provocative story and approachable format, which readers in general will find much to discuss in this thoughtful story." - The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)

- "An intense, well-told story that will make readers think hard about how they would handle rough situations in their lives." - School Library Journal

- "Reluctant readers will be drawn into this story." - Booklist

About the Author
Ann Dee Ellis received her MA from Brigham Young University. This is her debut novel.

Customer Reviews

Courtesy of Teens Read Too
Zyler is gone. Logan is drowning in guilt. Will an attempt to make a new start really work?

Logan is a different kid. He has twin younger brothers whose lives revolve around sports. His dad cares, but he's busy. His mother is pregnant, something he'd rather not think too much about. They care, but they don't know what to do to help him.

Not a kid with lots of friends, Logan seems to manage to participate in life at a normal level. Boy Scouts offers him a chance to mingle with other boys his age, but most of them are bullies who use him for target practice. He does fairly well in school and is gutsy enough to try out for the school play and nail the greatest on-stage fight scene they've ever seen. He has friends (or at least acquaintances) that surround him and fill his life, but none like Zyler.

Zyler and Logan had a special friendship. They rode bikes together, did projects together, heck, even liked the same girl together. They knew each others' strengths and weaknesses. Logan even knew how Zyler's father treated his son, but respected Zyler's need for privacy.

Once again, Zyler is now gone, and Logan's family has chosen to move a short distance away to give Logan a fresh start. Hopefully a new school, new friends, and new activities will allow him to forget that night. Unfortunately, the guilt moved right along with Logan.

Ann Dee Ellis uses a unique style of prose to take readers into the mind of Logan Paloney. There is a bit of a wait for readers to discover the exact cause of Logan's oppressive guilt, but the journey is worth the effort. This disturbing story makes one wonder about the personal and private worlds of those around us. Logan's actions could have changed the outcome of events in one person's world, but is that a risk just anyone is willing to take?

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"