Taking Aim: Power and Pain, Teens and Guns

Gr 9 Up—An essay on guns in America by three award-winning authors sets the stage for 13 short stories from an impressive list of writers including Chris Lynch, Francesca Lia Block, and Walter Dean Myers. Ron Koertge's "The Bodyguard: A Fable" offers an unusual perspective on hunting, Myers's "Roach" explores the feeling of power that guns bring to the powerless, while Elizabeth E. Wein's "The Battle of Elphinloan" is about coming face to face with the enemy during war. Standout contributions are Alex Flinn's "Fight or Flight" about preparing for the unexpected, and Jenny Hubbard's heart-breaking "The Babysitters" about a little girl lost too soon and those who remember her. The common themes of power and pain are nicely woven throughout the collection, and the stories cover a wide variety of gun-related topics, though it is unfortunate that Myers's contribution is the sole representation of the urban experience.