11/13/15
I have previously read the book Random by Tom Leveen. The author of this book really wanted to appeal to psychological side of situations. He really showed modern problems in the most dramatic way possible… through cyber bullying. Tom Leveen is a published of titles such as Party and Zero (Which was a YALSA Best Book of 2013). He is a frequent speakers at schools and conferences because of his close topics to teens. He now lives in Scottsdale, Arizona. He is originally an Arizona so now he lives with his wife and kids in his home state.

I chose this book because I thought that I would love the drama. My Grandma took me to the bookstore for my birthday and I decided to choose this high drama book. It was not recommended to me (although my grandmother though it sounded like) I really enjoyed the selection that I had made at the time. This is my second time reading and the suspense still gets me. No matter how many times you read it you will always be on the edge of your seat.

This book is about a girl named Victoria who just wants to have a normal life and to be popular, but that all changes when she is convicted to a court case to decide whether or not she is guilty of… assisted suicide by cyber bullying. Her and 5 of her friends all bully Kevin Cooper until the breaking point which causes them to live with the guilt for the rest of her life. So, when she gets a call at midnight before the court case that the person on the other line is about to suicide she has to decide whether to believe him or not. Is this a prank call or was this so called suicide call really a Random dial.

In this book I really liked how the author included after each chapter a segment of The cyber bullying that took place on Victoria’s Facebook page. It really gave you an inner look on the torture that this boy was put through. It then reads on to an article about how a 13 year old boy went to juvie because he shot horses in the butt with a BB gun, but these 6 children are accused of nothing even though they caused the suicide. This is what initially caused the court case. Another thing that I like about this book is how the author really put this subject forward onto the readers. He never really put it lightly, it is a touchy subject but the author showed the dangers of cyberbullying and used the book as a warning to teens. One fact of the book that I thought that the author could include with is showing the struggle with the other 5 kids instead of just Victoria. Sur Victoria was the most important but it still would have been helpful to know how the others were feeling.

One passage from the book that showed a lot of inner thought was the passage on page 22, “I… um…I don’t…Who is this?” “Andrew,” He says, “Who is this.” “You Mean you don’t know?” I say. “No.” Then why’d you call me?” Another sniffle. Maybe Andrew has a cold. That’s what you get for sitting in rain. “It was at random,” Andrew says. “I didn’t think any anyone would answer.” This was the beginning of how Victoria’s guilt all started… with a phone call. I like how the author left it mysterious for a while until revealing why he called.

I rate this book a 8.5 out of 10 because of all the suspense that the author added in. It kept me on the edge of my seat till the very last moments and then leading on to me wanting to read more. I really enjoyed this book and its deeper meaning and I hope others will too. We all have demons inside us.
Written by Caden, Simons