The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen

This book has it all - great story, intense, complicated characters, and a surprising and twisty story as one boy wrestles his way to the heart of his new (upside-down) life. Loved it. Would recommend for any tween/teen reader.

This book was an outstanding take on the perspective of the younger brother of a school killer. The younger brother witnessed his older brother being bullied and harassed beyond his ability to take it any longer. The fact that his brother went mad and killed his main tormentor is only a testament to the human spirit's inability to suffer humiliation, defeat, and physical abuse on an ongoing basis. I read the book because I want to learn all I can about bullying - I was bullied as a child in school and at home. My children were bullied. We have all experienced the sense of shame, helplessness, and rage that both the killer and his brother suffered. Thankfully we lived through it and survived (as did the bullies) - but I experience and note the long-term effects in myself and family members: poor self-esteem, difficulty in forming close friendships, and an overall distrust of people. I think that Susin Neilson captures not only the tumult of mean emotions that are associated with this issue, but has managed to encapsulate this dark tale within a lively, charming story. I read the book in one day, and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in this problem.

This is, hands down, the most profound book I have read this year. I think it should be required reading for ALL teachers and school administrators in both high school and elementary and it should also be required reading for all kids in grade 7 or above and any parent no matter what age your kid is. I think it is especially relevant given the latest school tragedy. The author of this book is a Canadian, incidentally, and her other books for teens/young adults are also excellent. This is not a book you should pass up.

This book is full of real life tragedies and teaches you that your family will always be there with you.

Came in the mail brand new like if you were to buy it at the store.

Book was in great condition.

No stars if I could!

I got this book free from LibraryThing Early Reviewers.This is an excellent depiction of a boy and his family family, ripped apart at the seams by violence and tragedy, and how they begin to stitch themselves back together again. The protagonist, 13-year-old Henry, began his diary at the request of his therapist. Although reluctant to write at first (hence the title), Henry came to depend on his journal as a confidant to help him deal with his pain and grief. The characterization of this boy and the people around him -- his parents, other residents in his apartment building, his new school friends -- is spot-on.The big problem, though, is that this really doesn't sound like a real diary. In my experience just about every diary-novel has this issue. For the story to work, it has to be detailed. You have to actually hear the characters talk, and so on. But most people don't write in their diaries in that kind of detail; diary entries are usually summaries of the day's events instead, since the diarist writes for himself and he already knows what happened.Try not to let that bother you. This is a very good book. But I think it would have been better in a more typical, episodic format.If you liked this book you would probably also enjoy Ann Dee Ellis's  This is What I Did: , Catherine Austen's  Walking Backward  and Susan Shaw's  One of the Survivors .

Bought for my partner who has read and enjoyed other books by this author

very nice book. My daughter really enjoys reading it.

A great novel that my students really enjoy!

Good.It's a good book to read.

The book was fairly realistic exactly what you would expect someone dealing with that circumstance to do. My only real problem was the end felt really rushed. It was almost like the first 200 or so pages were great, then the author got tired of writing and figured it was time to end everything. That's me being incredibly opinionated though. Overall though I would still recommend it to others. It wasn't the best book I've ever read, but it was far from the worst.