Bang.

Emily Walters Gregor is a graduate student in 20th-century American
literature and an ESL writing tutor at the University of Minnesota.

Quentin (Q to his friends) is not a bad kid: the false alibi that he and his best friend J.D. provide for the shooting death of a downtown food cart owner—that they were riding their bikes in the woods—betrays how comfortable and normal their lives were before J.D. made the terrible decision to shoot the man who admonishes the boys for smoking pot and stealing from his cart.

Quentin is wracked with guilt and fear. He protects J.D.—but J.D. does not do the same for him, and Quentin ends up arrested for murder. Though the true story comes out eventually and Quentin is acquitted, his life is forever altered because of bad luck and bad choices.

McClintock creates a compelling story and develops her characters thoroughly in a short and fast-paced novel. As an Orca Soundings publication, this book is aimed at the “reluctant reader.” But Bang is evidence that such books need not sacrifice depth of story or complexity of theme, and it is evident that McClintock deeply respects her readers, as she provides them with a challenging, morally ambiguous, and thoroughly engaging novel. Highly recommended.