B Negative

by Vicki Grant

Paddy loves his family, all except for his annoying stepfather Anthony. When they have a discussion about his future, Paddy overreacts and threatens to join the army. Unable to back down, he finds he is alienating everyone around him. And when he takes the physical exam and learns his blood type, his world starts to crumble and he starts to question everything he thought he knew.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction

136 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2011

About the author

After a long and messy adolescence, Vicki Grant stumbled into writing. She worked her way up from 30-second ads to 30-minute television scripts to full-length novels. She's written sixteen young adult, middle-grade and high-low novels. Her most recent YA novel, 36 Questions That Changed My Mind About You, has been published worldwide in over twenty territories.. Vicki lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Awards:
Arthur Ellis Award
◊ Best Juvenile (2006): Quid Pro Quo
Red Maple Award: Not Suitable For Family Viewing
CBC Young Canada Reads: The Puppet Wrangler.

Reviews

[Nathaniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

These Orca books are my guilty pleasure. They're just short little books and I find them in my library a lot. I pick them up every once in a while and they're usually three or four stars. Sometimes novellas are just as good as novels. They tell stories...just simpler. This one actually shocked me. The reveal was great and the characters response made me feel a lot of things.

[Jaime Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice single sitting kinda read. Kinda knew where it was going from the very beginning or it probably woulda been a 5 star read.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a reread for me. I enjoyed it about the same as I did the last time. I might have felt even more badly for John, because of gets revealed, but I loved the way the story ended. A nice story with a kind of happy ending, don't always get those.

[Ferry · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main character in this book is Paddy, he is a boy who wants to join the army. But when he does that, everything went wrong. I think it is a nice and exciting book, it was also pretty easy to reed.

[Nhu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected horror from the back quote but hey an ok family drama. I'll never get the must be blood related to be family, especially if you've been together since birth, but I get how it can be heartbreaking.

[Emily Sherwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

These hi-lo books are all so predictable, as if struggling readers don't have brains.

[Syana]

In the book B Negative, Patrick wants to join the army and his stepfather Anthony does not want him to. Anthony wants Patrick to pursue in music, and Patrick doesn't agree with that so he tells Anthony, his mom, and his two sisters that he is going into the army. His sisters, and mom are both sad they didn't want Patrick to leave and never come back. Anthony laughs and thinks he's joking, and Patrick didn't really mean it he said that to irritate Anthony. Patrick told him that he wasn't kidding and he was signing up next week. So Patrick went to go sign up a week later and he had to go get blood testing done and the doctor said that his blood type was B negative and that it was rare and that made Patrick wonder how he's a B negative. His mother wasn't a B negative and neither was his dad. Later on in the book, Anthony and Patrick get into a fight and Patrick ends up getting a bruise on his cheek and a cut on his hand. Patrick left and got into a car and went to go find his dad on the way to go and find him, the car breaks down. So Patrick starts walking down the road towards the rocky beach, he sees boats tied up and he sees another boat on the water with a red light it was a person sitting on the deck. Patrick starts towards it and he finds another little boat to go to the boat with the person on it. Patrick climbs into the boat and rows his way over to the other boat. He climbs aboard the boat and notices that it was his dad. They talk for awhile and they both fall asleep, Patrick ends up going to the hospital because of blood poisoning. He eventually gets better and is back with his family.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

With B Negative, Paddy is an eighteen year old boy who has the dream of joining the Army. As Paddy goes through all of the medical tests that is required for him to join, his life as he knew it suddenly changes forever. In this story the blood type b negative is a very rare blood type and Paddy has it. The only issue which Paddy soon finds out is that Paddy's father John Armstrong doesn't have the same blood type. This comes to a shock for both Paddy and his father John.

Now Paddy's mom and "dad" weren't able to stay together as a couple and when John was away on leave in the Navy Paddy's mom ends up meeting Anthony Paul Wishart. At first they were just friends but when John comes back from being overseas things were rocky with their relationship and they split up. Shortly after they break up his mom and Anthony get in a relationship. She soon finds out she is pregnant but forces herself to believe that it was John's baby because he always wanted to be a dad.

When John finds out that he's not the father, he understandably takes it really hard. Paddy ends up finding him drunk on his boat. Though Paddy has come to realize that John is not his biological father. He still will always think that John is and always will be his dad.

There is a bit in the story about is girlfriend Tara but that relationship wasn't the main plot of the story. He loves Tara, but there really isn't much about the relationship in the book.


I enjoyed the book, but it did seem a bit rushed with everything that was going on in the story.

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Paddy is drifting through life, not really sure about what he wants to do with it. Pursue music? Get a job? Take classes at the community college?
Seventeen-year-old Paddy loves his family, but not his stepfather Anthony. Anthony calls Paddy’s bluff when Paddy threatens to join the Army. When Paddy takes the physical exam and learns his blood type, it becomes clear that the man he has always thought of as his biological parent, is not, and now he must question all that he thought he knew.
The cover art will capture readers’ attention, but the brief, compelling story will snag readers’ thoughts and have them turning pages as quickly as they can read. With more than fifty percent of marriages ending in divorce, the family characters shown here are spare, but believable as low-income, struggling, and imperfect. Readers may identify with these gritty characters.
While predictable, the plot may spark debate about reasons people join the military or what it takes to be a (good) parent. Grant does not flinch away from the unvarnished reaction Paddy’s (not-related) father has to the news that Paddy is not his son. The open ending doesn’t resolve into a tidy “happy ending.”
A sequel detailing basic training, once Paddy is inducted into the Army, would make a good follow up to this short novel that will certainly have readers asking for another “like” this one.

[Deborah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. It’s an easy read, so there’s that… but not really anything special. It feels a little underwritten, like there could have been more to it. This is a quick read but, because of that and because it’s so sparse, it’s a bit unsatisfying. The plot is stronger than the character development. It’s easily enough to keep someone reading.

Overall, I found the conclusion unsatisfying. Everything wrapping up neatly is okay with me. However, Paddy’s issue with his stepfather Anthony is primarily that the man is deeply affected and persists on pursuing his “acting career” (not a lucrative or successful one), and it seemed in the end that the author was saying this was okay because Anthony loves his kids. I feel like if you love your kids, you take care of them.

Much as I love a coming-of-age/establishment of identity story, give this one a miss.

[A Book Vacation · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grant has written a superb novel that is sure to catch the interest of all who read it. Written in simple prose, B Negative tells the story of Paddy, a seventeen-year-old boy ready to follow in his father’s footsteps, but who is his real father? Filled with suspense and mounting tension, B Negative will keep the reader glued to the pages as the story unfolds.

I especially enjoyed Paddy’s voice throughout the novel. As he tells his story, it is easy to connect with him and obtain a real sense of his thoughts and feelings. He sounds just like the average teen of our day, and Grant does a wonderful job capturing the essence of the story at hand...

To read my full review:

http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this one last night - it's an Orca Soundings book so it's high-interest, low-level, and short - because a teen patron wrote a letter to my branch manager asking her to remove it from the shelf due to its "foul language." Seriously? I can find a lot fouler language on our shelves - this has a couple of "pissed" a few "ass" and one "bullshit." Tame. But our letter back to this kid will contain a few clean high-low titles that she can try instead of this one.

The book was actually pretty good - a short story about a boy who, in the process of signing up for the army, finds out that his father is not actually his father. I like how his family deals with the situation after everyone gets over the initial shock of the discovery.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm so happy that I've found this line of books, even though I've only read two of them I have a feeling that I'll be reading as many more of them as I can get.

B Negative had a different outcome than I was expecting, which I really liked! I was so sure I knew what plot of the book was going to be, so when I found out I was completely wrong it was wonderful. I won't say what I thought it was going to be about or what it actually is, since the synopsis is vague and I think anything else I would say about it could be a spoiler, but I will say that it was engaging throughout and one I would recommend.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another great installment from Orca Soundings. High interest/low level. Perfect for the reluctant reader. Paddy, annoyed by his stepfather, decides to get back at him by announcing that he is going to join the Army. His mother reluctantly agrees, as long as he goes to get a complete physical and a lecture from the family doctor. During the physical some rather disturbing news comes to light causing everyone in his life to see things very differently. As Paddy struggles to come to terms with this life changing news, a near death experience brings it all into proportion.

[Salma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I kinda like this book . My favorite character is paddy because he shares his feelings to everyone . Paddy is different from his family . Paddy likes his family expect his stepfather Anthony . I think Anthony is making paddy to make a choice to go with he or stay. I know how paddy feel about his stepfather .

[Victoria Bickford · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave the story B negative by Vicki Grant 3 stars. I gave this book three stars because it was a really interesting book. Things I liked about it would be the way Grant set up the book in an organized manner. Most books I read don't make sense to me, because the way the author writes. There wasn't anything I didn't like about the book.

[Vicky Yan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first ORCA Soundings. I am surprised that I got to see fairly good character development in such a short book. I think the twist in the family relationship is quite interesting. It's a good read read when you want a good story and you don't have much time to invest in a thick book.

[Shawn Bird · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice, tight little novella about a young man who discovers his dad isn't his father, and has to come to terms with the fact that his biological father is the step-father he despises. Well-developed, well-paced.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Orca soundings publishes books of high interest to reluctant junior high or high school readers. Before handing B Negative to a student, I read it myself. B-Negative is a good read: a page-turner, paced just right for my students.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book, I finished it within a few hours. Has a boy who is in a somewhat dysfunctional family and once he says he is going to enlist in the Army, it opens up a hidden family secret that will flip his world upside down.

[Rivkah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had triple meaning of the blood type B Negative. It challenges certainty to it's breaking point.

[Emily Rozmus · Rating 3 out of 5]

For an Orca (low level, high interest) I was impressed with the storyline and the symbolism of the blood. This will make a good addition to our school library.

[Leah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I kept thinking something interesting would happen but the whole thing was telegraphed from the start and nothing de-cliche'd it.

[Peggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this story was interesting. Not a bad read for an Orca Soundings. I think there would be an audience for this among reluctant/weak readers.

[Les · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not too believable that the son could get to 18 years old before anyone notices the blood types don't match up.

[Jules · Rating 4 out of 5]

a very good short story yet it is a book that you have to have an imagintion for the ending because the author doesn't go into detail with it.

[Kayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an easy read. It took me about two hours to read it. I'm not sure how I feel about it. It wasn't bad, but not something I would read again.

[Giniro · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like this book. the first person narrative was kind of thrilling and very male. It was kind of fast and short than i thought it was. :D It was an OK book. :D

[Lola · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book.The sortyline is great.

[Amy Mathers · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://amysmarathonofbooks.ca/b-negat...