{"product_id":"bang-9781368019408","title":"Bang!","description":"\u003cb\u003eAs violence continues in his community, a 13-year-old boy must make some difficult choices to set his life on another course.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBang!\u003ci\u003e Guns really sound like that, you know. \u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBang!\u003ci\u003e And people bleed from everywhere, and blood is redder than you think. \u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eAnd little kids look funny in caskets. That's 'cause they ain't meant to be in one, I guess.\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMann is only thirteen, yet he has already had to deal with more than most go through in a lifetime. His family is still reeling from the tragic shooting death of his little brother, Jason, each person coping with grief in his or her own way. Mann's mother has stopped eating and is obsessed with preserving Jason's memory, while his father is certain that presenting a hard edge is the only way to keep his remaining son from becoming a statistic. Mann used to paint and ride horseback, but now he's doing everything he can to escape his emotions: getting involved in fights at school, joyriding at midnight, and much worse. His father, at his wit's end, does the only thing he thinks will teach his son how to be a man: he abandons him and his friend Kee-Lee in the woods, leaving them to navigate their way home, alone. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eNow Mann, struggling to find his way back to civilization, must also reconcile himself to the realities of a world that has stolen his little brother, and that isn't even sure it still wants Mann in it. One wrong turn and it could all be over for him, too. \u003ci\u003eBang.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSharon G. Flake\u003c\/b\u003e has an international reputation as a top author for children and young adults. Her breakout novel, \u003ci\u003eThe Skin I'm In\u003c\/i\u003e, established her as a must-read author among middle and high school students, parents, and educators. She has spoken to more than two hundred thousand young people, and hugged nearly as many. Flake has penned nine novels, numerous short stories, plays, and a picture book entitled \u003ci\u003eYou Are Not a Cat\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Her work has received numerous awards, such as the Coretta Scott King Honor award and the YWCA Racial Justice Award, and her books have been named to many prestigious lists, including Kirkus Review's Top Ten Books of the Year, Best Books for Young Adults by the American Library Association, Top Ten Books for the Teen Age by the New York Public Library, Top Twenty Recommended Books to Read by the Texas Library Association, 100 Books Every Teenage Girl Should Read, and Booklist Editor's Choice, among others. She lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For more information, go to sharonflake.com, or follow her on Twitter @sharonflake.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Little, Brown Books for Young Readers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50527567118610,"sku":"9781368019408","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_6d21535a-b010-442d-b366-681e46565f38.jpg?v=1731305754","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/bang-9781368019408","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}