Grow balls to fill up the screen, but don’t let renegade bouncing balls interrupt the process

http://www.kongregate.com/games/SimianLogic/filler

Veron God Little by DBC Pierre
(Buy it at Amazon)

This book won the Man Booker Prize in 2003. I remember it as being supposedly a ‘big deal’ so I was eager to see what it takes to win a Booker. I was pleased to find a well-structured book with an interesting premise and one or two sympathetic characters.

The main character is Vernon Little who lives with his mum in a small Texan town where school shooting on a Columbine-scale has just occurred. The shooter, Vernon’s best friend, was the shooter and committed suicide before he could get caught. Vernon is the scapegoat for the whole affair in the eyes of the local (and incompetent) police. The media soon storm the town and we see how quickly things can get out of hand and Vernon is stuck between telling the painful truth and going to jail for something he didn’t do. There are twists and turns all the way, lots of double-crosses and smart moves by Pierre that will keep you interested.

Is this one of the best teenage books ever, or it simply a great book with a teenager as the central character? This book isn’t the kind of uppity book written in hard to grasp language that you might associate with a literary award-winning book. If teachers want to get kids interested in reading then this is the kind of book they should be reading. It is much deeper than an average teenage novel but teenagers will find elements incredibly relatable.

However, if you’re not at school don’t let the above put you off - it’s simply a great book with a teenager at the centre. He may be 15 but he is mature and wise (maybe debatable) beyond his years. There’s something for everyone (except maybe if you’re a prude - the language and themes can be a little confronting).