Gentlemen by Michael Northrop

[Christina Abruzzini]

Summary:

This book is about four high school friends who go by the nicknames of Michael, Tommy, Mixer, and Bones. They are troublemakers, to say the least, and that is how everyone in their school sees them. The four of them do not seem to mind misbehaving in school/getting in trouble/being up to no good. It is almost like they are in their own little gang as the four of them are really tight and close-knit. They have a teacher by the name of Mr. Haberman who is their remedial English teacher that calls them "Gentlemen." There is a mishap in their math class one day as the teacher asks Tommy for an answer. Tommy has a difficult time prounouncing that specific number and he thinks the teacher knows that and asked him that on purpose. Tommy ends up flipping over his desk and gets sent to the principal's office. After this occurrence, Tommy disappears. Michael, Mixer, and Bones cannot seem to find Tommy at all. They try calling him, he is not showing up to school, and he is nowhere in sight. Tommy's own mother even calls Michael to see if he knows where he is. The boys start to think of what could have happened although Tommy had left town before for a while and then come back--it was something not surprising for Tommy. However, when the town sheriff comes to the school to investigate Tommy's disappearance, they know this is more real than they had expected. During all of this, Mr. Haberman brings a barrel to class one day and asks students to guess what is in it. Nobody guesses it right, so he doesn't explain what its contents are. He does ask for Michael, Mixer, and Bones to help carry it out to his car after class. It is extremely heavy and their suspicions start to surface. Could Tommy be in the barrel? Did Mr. Haberman kill him and then stuff him in the barrel? All along, the boys believe more and more that Mr. Haberman killed their friend Tommy. During class with Mr. Haberman, they are reading a book about murder and the way the teacher emphasizes certain parts of the book makes it sound more and more realistic that this murder in the book is actually a real-life murder. ***SPOILER ALERT: In the end after much communication among the three friends, they decide to confront Mr. Haberman...at his own house. They ask him about the barrel and demand to know what was in it. He laughs and tells them it was recycled materials. Michael feels he is being completely honest and is ready to leave but Bones has a different idea. He pulls out a fish club, (Mr. Haberman's club actually which Bones had taken from his classroom), and beats Mr. Haberman unconscious into a coma. Michael and Mixer are beyond shocked as their intentions were to just find out where Tommy was and what was in that barrel. Michael knew it was wrong but he felt at that time he had to stick with his friends and go along with it. They end up leaving Mr. Haberman's unconscious body and go home. In the end, Michael ends up testifying against Bones. Michael wanted to do the right thing, and he also realized that Bones needed help and did not want to continue standing by his side. Michael and Mixer do end up getting sent to juvie where Michael actually finishes the book from Mr. Haberman's class, and writes him a letter as an apology. Mr. Haberman writes Michael back telling him how gifted he is. Tommy reappears and the reason he had "disappeared" was to find out who he was and came to the realization that he was gay. Great ending!    

Connection to YA Lit criteria:

*YA authors write from the viewpoint of young people- This story is told from Michael's view point. He is in high school and many of the opinions throughout the book are definitely expressed from a high schooler's eyes. It is definitely a relatable trait of the book.
*YA lit gets rid of parents so the young person is free to take credit for his/her own accomplishments- While there are minor parts in the book where we hear from Michael's mom, it is not at all significant in the book. (Michael's dad has not been in his life since he was little.)
*YA it is fast paced- This book is extremely fast paced! It flew by, and it was exciting all the way through. I was on my toes until the very end.
*YA lit includes a variety of genres and subjects- This book covers a lot of major high school-related issues: sexuality, dating, trying to fit in and find your place, individuality, friendship, family, sexual experiences (both positive and negative), violence, drugs, alcohol, humor, and mystery.
*YA books are optimistic w/characters making worthy accomplishments- In the end, Michael stands up to his friend in order to do the right thing. He knows it is wrong to not tell the truth, so he does testify against his own friend Bones.

*Successful YA novels deal with emotions that are important to young adults- There is a wide range of emotions included in this book: love, anger, fear, confusion, etc.

 

Link to a resource for further information about the book/novel:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6061941-gentlemen   --> A site that includes a summary and reviews about the book.

 

Your opinion/recommendations of the book/novel relating back to criteria:

I really enjoyed this book! It was fast paced which made it a lot more exciting. It was also really unpredictable which always makes for a nice surprise. I am a fan of mysteries, as I have mentioned, and this was definitely a great mystery! Nothing unraveled until the very end, and it kept me guessing throughout. I feel that this book is appropriate for high school grade levels and above. I do not think it is appropriate for children younger than high school because of the brief violence and sexual encounter. It may be effective to use this primarily in a classroom library, but it probably would not be used very effectively for a class lesson/unit. I do not think that this book has enough to go on to use for classroom teaching purposes, but it is a great read for students to read for fun.

[Christina Abruzzini]

Amber,
I personally do not think that it caters to a more specific sex as I enjoyed it very much. Although I could see male students enjoying it more as it does revolve around four young high school males. Many of the opinions of Michael do seem more male-related; however, I found it to be an amusing story reading a male's standpoint. I think it would depend if students prefer to read books primarily centered on their sex or if they are open to reading a book about either males or females. I'm sure there are people that do find it more enjoyable to read books about their sex as it may be more relatable. I like to read either and in this case, I am very glad I read this book as it kept me entertained throughout.

I could see assigning this book in possibly a group reading project as it may be effective for students to discuss the various elements with each other. It would be interesting for students to hear what other peers feel about this story and the outcome. It could also serve for the purpose of an independent reading project as well. Some may feel that this book would be useful for a lesson, but I personally would not choose to do so.

[Danielle Sonni]

I read this book too and really enjoyed it! I liked all of the twists, very suspenseful.

I agree that this book probably wouldn't be the most effective in a unit plan but is a good book for summer reading or a class library.

[Monika Andes]

From the way you were describing the book, I was reminded of LFA. Did you find any similarities? I'm really intrigued by this book. I think it sounds like an interesting way to have students communicate their beliefs and opinions. I like how Amber suggested group projects. I think that this would be a very effective way for students to discuss the book. It definitely sounds relatable. Did you find that the book flowed nicely? I know that sounds random, but from you summary, it sounds like the book is a bit jumbled... What is the role that other adults play in the book? You said that it's just the minor appearances, but do you feel like the adults were ever essential, or were they more like afterthoughts?

[Christina Abruzzini]

Wow, what a great connection Monika! I would say it definitely does relate with LFA as both books show an in depth look of a particular high school aged group (if LFA was high school, I can't remember?) but either way, they both involve students that are rebels who seem to be trying to find their way and themselves for that matter. Thanks for finding that connection, especially since you haven't even read this book! :)

Gentlemen does actually flow very nicely, and it is such a quick read. I am not the best at explaining things, so sorry if my summary sounds a bit jumbled! This book does have A LOT going on though as Amber had mentioned, so I also feel it almost made it more difficult to try and summarize it. I was not sure how to explain everything without leaving certain parts out and then I had to explain certain things, so my summary did get a bit confusing I'm sure! Don't let my summary mislead you though, it is a great book.

As for the adults, they are not essential in the story. We hear from Tommy's mom only once or twice and that was when she called Michael to see if he had heard from Tommy. We also read a few brief moments with Michael's mom but they make it clear in the book that they do not have a close relationship. The book has a moment in the text when Michael and his mom are eating breakfast. Michael explains to the reader that they don't talk much; they do not even ask each other how their days at work/school are. Michael states though that his mom doesn't ask him much because she knows how he is always getting into trouble. In my eyes, it did not seem like the minor parts in the book mentioned about the parents made any kind of significant attribute to the story as a whole. It's main focus is really on Michael and his friends trying to figure out the disappearance of their friend Tommy.