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Shayne Blank is the new kid in town--but that doesn't stop him from getting into a lot of trouble very quickly. The other kids don't understand him...
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Dec 12, 2011
Misha
rated it: 
Finished in 5 hours. Bypassed homework for this book. It was that amazing.
I fell in love with the main character Shayne Blank on practically the 3rd page of his appearance. That's sorta his character's purpose I think. To make readers captivated by him so his actions later on are all the more justified and even later actions mysteriously intriguing.
His sarcasm, nonchalant, ninja ways are oh so very alluring. Especially since I'm a teenage girl haha. Everything about him makes h More...
I fell in love with the main character Shayne Blank on practically the 3rd page of his appearance. That's sorta his character's purpose I think. To make readers captivated by him so his actions later on are all the more justified and even later actions mysteriously intriguing.
His sarcasm, nonchalant, ninja ways are oh so very alluring. Especially since I'm a teenage girl haha. Everything about him makes h More...
Oct 17, 2011
Mj
rated it: 
Blank Confession
Pete Hautman
Simon & Schuster, BFYR
2010
Library Copy
Shayne Blank, a 16 year old teen, confesses to murder during a two hour interview with detective Rawls at a local police station. The story unfolds in the alternating voices of Shayne, Rawls, and Mikey Martin, a short, smart mouth Haitian kid that Shayne befriends. Their story is told in flashbacks and narrative sequences with sharp, engaging dialogue.
As the story unfolds, the reader can see th More...
Pete Hautman
Simon & Schuster, BFYR
2010
Library Copy
Shayne Blank, a 16 year old teen, confesses to murder during a two hour interview with detective Rawls at a local police station. The story unfolds in the alternating voices of Shayne, Rawls, and Mikey Martin, a short, smart mouth Haitian kid that Shayne befriends. Their story is told in flashbacks and narrative sequences with sharp, engaging dialogue.
As the story unfolds, the reader can see th More...
May 15, 2011
Barky
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Apr 25, 2011
Linda
rated it:
This whodunnit kept me up late and I really liked Shayne Blank, the confessor who says he killed someone. I found his friend Mikey, who narrates part of the book, kind of annoying at times, but was glad to hear he came into his own a little bit at the end, and was maybe less of a 'dink.'
I think YA readers will really enjoy this, if for nothing else than the action bits. Lots of fights, lots of the undertow of what really concerns kids in high school, and so lots of drama.
Most charact More...
I think YA readers will really enjoy this, if for nothing else than the action bits. Lots of fights, lots of the undertow of what really concerns kids in high school, and so lots of drama.
Most charact More...
Jan 31, 2011
Angela
rated it: 
Shallow things first: really like the interior page designs. Each chapter is headed with a manila folder tab telling us the narrator or the setting for each chapter. Cool and distinctive and thematically appropriate.
I was definitely interested in the story and the gradual ramping up of the tension. We know that someone is going to be dead by the end of the story - but did Shayne murder someone in cold blood? Was it someone who deserved it? Or an innocent bystander? Hautman does a gre More...
I was definitely interested in the story and the gradual ramping up of the tension. We know that someone is going to be dead by the end of the story - but did Shayne murder someone in cold blood? Was it someone who deserved it? Or an innocent bystander? Hautman does a gre More...
Nov 18, 2011
Vivfischer
rated it:
Mikey, a quirky middle schooler, is inexplicably befriended by Shayne Blank, the new kid in school, soft spoken, dressed all in black, and somehow a martial arts-trained vigilante. Somehow pulled into this story is the town bully/drug-pusher Jon, and Mikey's sister Marie, a formerly "smart girl" who has recently gone a bit off the good girl track, as well as George Rawls, a middle-aged cop and former teacher. This short, taut novel uses multiple voices to unfold the inevitable collis
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Feb 02, 2012
Laura
rated it:
Blank Confession by Pete Hautman is a solid story told by a skilled storyteller. That might sound like a weak or oversimplified compliment, but let me explain my deep admiration for storytellers.
Have you ever been in the presence of a gifted orator or storyteller? Someone with a pitch perfect tone, attitude, build up, posture, and language coupled with the right about of sighs, smiles, eye contact, and hand gestures to pull you right into the story. To really make you a part of the More...
Have you ever been in the presence of a gifted orator or storyteller? Someone with a pitch perfect tone, attitude, build up, posture, and language coupled with the right about of sighs, smiles, eye contact, and hand gestures to pull you right into the story. To really make you a part of the More...
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Mar 24, 2011
Cornmaven
rated it:
Nice psychological mystery for MS-HS kids. I really liked the character portrayal - Shayne Blank in particular. The fact that he's kind of a 'being' more than a person was intriguing. Not that a kid like that could really exist - after all, he couldn't have registered himself at the new HS without enough paperwork and parental signatures - but his personal history was traumatic enough that his persona was plausible. At least to me.
I also liked the storyline of bullying, and the More...
I also liked the storyline of bullying, and the More...
Jun 28, 2011
Faye
rated it:
Blank Confessions is told in a series of flashbacks. The story opens with Shayne Blank confessing to killing Jon Blande, a bully in high school. Shayne is a mysterious character that shows up on the first day of high school. He meets and helps high school junior Mikey Martin. Jon Blande is dating Mikey's sister. Mikey's troubles start when he throws away a bag of drugs forced on him for safekeeping by his sister's drug-dealing boyfriend. Consequently, Mikey is threatened with bodily injury u
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Aug 18, 2011
Kendra
rated it:
Here is the quick-read some of you will be looking for when book reviews are due at school in a few months! This is short and fast-paced and well written - just what students need when they have to turn in a book review in a day or two!
The story is told from two perspectives: Detective Rawls, who is interviewing a boy named Shane who has appeared in the police station to confess to a murder; and Mikey, who has been a friend to Shane and is trying to explain in his own words what happen More...
The story is told from two perspectives: Detective Rawls, who is interviewing a boy named Shane who has appeared in the police station to confess to a murder; and Mikey, who has been a friend to Shane and is trying to explain in his own words what happen More...
Jan 15, 2012
Mike
rated it:
I had no intention of reading this today. But I picked it up at the library, and started it while I was waiting for my wife to get her books. When we got home, I laid down in bed, thinking I'd read a bit and then take a well-earned nap. That plan was scotched by distilled adrenaline rush that is Blank Confession
The protagonist, Shayne, is the answer to this question: What if Jack Reacher were a high school kid? Yes, he's that awesome.
I need to create a bookshelf of Best YA Th More...
The protagonist, Shayne, is the answer to this question: What if Jack Reacher were a high school kid? Yes, he's that awesome.
I need to create a bookshelf of Best YA Th More...
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Sep 19, 2010
Jennifer
rated it:
As an avid Pete Hautman fan, I was really disappointed in this latest title, which features a multiple POV set up similar to that of Cormier's The Rag and Bone Shop. Hautman also includes a weary cop questioning a mysterious teen about a murder, but he adds a funny bystander as comic relief. The story itself, which focuses on how a high school bully gets his comeuppance is fine, but the payoff when the reader finds out exactly who dunnit and why, is underwhelming and doesn't match the suspense b
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Jul 05, 2010
Sandy
rated it: 
Told from alternating viewpoints. Mikey and Shayne Blank - the new kid in school - strike up a somewhat unlikely friendship. Shayne tries to stand up for Mikey when Jon - Mikey's sister's boyfriend and the local high school drug dealer - decides Mikey owes him money. Things heat up on both sides culminating in a confession of murder in the police station. Who died and how?
Really gripping, Shayne is quite a distant character and seems larger than life. Mikey is really the star of the novel More...
Really gripping, Shayne is quite a distant character and seems larger than life. Mikey is really the star of the novel More...
Mar 26, 2011
Sheri
rated it:
Interesting plot structure -- he takes a risk by starting a YA book with a middle-aged cop who wants to get home in time for dinner but it works. Story is told in two parallel narratives -- there is the cop getting the confession of a teen who has apparently killed somebody (told in the third person) and a first person recounting of the same events from the point of view of another kid, a middle school smartass who is short for his age and wears thrift store bar mitzvah suits to school. Fast rea
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Feb 06, 2011
Small Review
rated it:
Much as I love a solid 250-350 page book (or series!), I always appreciate a well-told short novel. Clocking in at only 176 pages, Blank Confession doesn’t waste a single word and never feels rushed or under-developed. Instead, the reader is taken on multiple journeys following the various characters as their experiences intersect and build to a satisfying conclusion. These multiple perspectives flesh out the story and add character depth that could not have been accomplished as well with a diff
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Dec 27, 2010
Sarai
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Mar 30, 2011
Maggie
rated it:
I am a big fan of Hautman's earlier works, especially Rash. This book was a quick, easy read. I would definitely recommend it to my high school students, especially the boys as it is always difficult to get them hooked on something. The bullying elements of this story are interesting and ring true to me. I also enjoyed the influence of Mikey's grandparents and the idea of clothing as a mask, which is an idea that is usually seen as feminine so I liked how Hautman examined this from a teenage boy
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Dec 01, 2011
Allison
rated it:
This was a strange book and the first book that I read by Pete Hautman. It kind of reminded me of "What happened to Cass McBride" by Gail Giles with the whole alternating chapters and the mystery.
I liked the alternating chapters because it gave the book a uniqueness that helped developed the story and all of the characters. With the story having a mystery part of it kept me reading because I wanted to find out more about if Shayne really did kill Jon.
I have ve More...
I liked the alternating chapters because it gave the book a uniqueness that helped developed the story and all of the characters. With the story having a mystery part of it kept me reading because I wanted to find out more about if Shayne really did kill Jon.
I have ve More...
Apr 07, 2011
TheBookVixen
rated it:
Why I Read this Book: I didn’t know about Blank Confession until I saw it at the library one day. I was pursuing the new stock in the Teen section when I stumbled across this book. The first thing that caught my attention was the title. Well, that and the length of this book – it’s short. So I picked it up off the shelf and read the blurb. I thought to myself that’s an interesting premise. Then I noticed who the author is – it’s the same guy who wrote How to Steal A Car. I thought that book was
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Dec 07, 2010
Tasha
rated it:
This book begins with Shayne Blank entering a police department to confess a murder. The question for readers is how this kid who is new to school got into the situation. Mikey is a kid whose mouth always gets him into trouble. Though he thinks he wants to blend in and be invisible at times, he dresses in secondhand suits that make him stick out from the regular high school crowd. When Shayne seems interested in being his friend, Mikey has just ticked off his sister’s boyfriend, drug dealer
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Jan 28, 2011
Jennifer
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Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com
Although Shayne and Mikey have only been friends for a week, they are both involved in a murder investigation. One of them has confessed, but is he really the guilty one?
Shayne describes Mikey as a "dink." Combine Mikey's tiny stature and the odd thrift store suits he wears to school every day, and you have a bully magnet. Their friendship begins on Shayne's first day in the high school wh More...
Although Shayne and Mikey have only been friends for a week, they are both involved in a murder investigation. One of them has confessed, but is he really the guilty one?
Shayne describes Mikey as a "dink." Combine Mikey's tiny stature and the odd thrift store suits he wears to school every day, and you have a bully magnet. Their friendship begins on Shayne's first day in the high school wh More...
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Nov 10, 2011
Courtlandstokes
rated it:
This is good book. Its told in flash-backs starts off very suspenful. I love anybook that is great and under 200 pages.Every characters voice is so real and believable. Shayne is supposed to be the main character is the focal point of the story...but the twist is he really isnt the main character. The book has a serious undertone and the author really keeps you in suspense in an agitating way...but it reads easliy grabs you, holds you and keeps turning the page for more. The end is a shock--we k
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Feb 08, 2011
Nan
rated it:
A new and enigmatic student named Shayne appears at high school one day, befriends the smallest boy in the school,and takes on a notorious drug dealer before turning himself in to the police for killing someone (from DP).
Shayne Blank is a mystery - he has several versions of the truth about his past and where are his parents, really? And did he really kill someone? This book is humorous, reads really quickly and explores themes of friendship, courage and responsibility.
Shayne Blank is a mystery - he has several versions of the truth about his past and where are his parents, really? And did he really kill someone? This book is humorous, reads really quickly and explores themes of friendship, courage and responsibility.
Jan 26, 2012
Brandy
rated it:
A set-up similar to The Rag and Bone Shop (Cormier) but just doesn't hold up to that standard. It's all very interesting but the story falls a little flat and the language is just... I dunno. Does anyone really use the word "dope" for drugs anymore?
I think the main storyline will appeal to some teens (and it's short, so yay) but I worry that if I recommend it and they read some of this weird '80s lingo they'll think I'm insane.
I think the main storyline will appeal to some teens (and it's short, so yay) but I worry that if I recommend it and they read some of this weird '80s lingo they'll think I'm insane.
Dec 22, 2010
Kenny
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Aug 26, 2011
J.Elle
rated it: 
The books starts with a boy named Shayne sitting in a police station and confessing to a murder. The rest of the book contains flashbacks that piece together to bring you back to the present and explain the circumstances of the murder. This was recommended to me by a fourteen-year-old boy. If you are a fourteen-year-old boy, I’ll wager you might really like this. If you are an adult female, like me, you probably won’t.
Feb 27, 2011
Joanne
rated it:
Loved this book.. great for reluctant readers especially teenage boys. I would give to 8th grade and up...Multiple drug references but done in a very tasteful manner. Pete Hautman does what he does best and puts together a gripping intense story in a limited amount of pages. At only 176 pages, Pete Hautman has you on the edge of the seat until the last chapter. I'm not a fast reader, and I read this book in a day!
May 16, 2011
Brian
rated it:
Mikey has messed with the wrong kid. Jon is a drug dealer who happens to be dating Mikey's sister Marie. And when new kid Shayne gets involved, the situation just gets more complicated. This book was a very quick but entertaining read. I enjoyed reading Hautman's latest, and thought his cast of characters were both memorable and entertaining, and the story itself was filled with twists and turns.
Jan 14, 2011
Alyssa
rated it:
I really liked this book. The story jumps between Shayne's murder confession and Mikey's personal narration. It's a book about bullying and friends and difficult family, and it reads very realistically, even with its quirks. The actual description of the murder was good and shocked me, but the very end of the book is a little werid and unrealistic. Overall, though, a great story.
Jul 01, 2011
Vicki
rated it:
Shayne, a 16 year old enters town on an old, rundown, motorcycle. He befriends Mikey, the tiniest kid at school, and stands up to the drug-dealing, bully named Jon. The story is told by Shayne, Mikey, and Detective Rawls. A quick read that will bring back memories (good and bad) of high school. I enjoyed it and have just gotten another of Hautman's books to read.
