The Gun

by Bali Rai

Binny's alright. Kamal has his crazy moments. And Jonas has found a gun. It was chucked away after a drive-by and now they've got it.

And Kamal's not afraid to use it.

A tense teen thriller particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers aged 12+

Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Crime

62 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Bali Rai was born in 1971 and grew up in Leicester. As a child, Bali wanted to be a footballer or to write stories. Always an avid reader, he hails Sue Townsend, Douglas Adams and Robert Swindells as his writing heroes. Bali grew up reading Dr Seuss and Meg and Mog and his first book purchase was The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. He realised he wasn't good enough to play for Liverpool F.C. and after gaining a politics degree in London he returned to his home city and combined a variety of jobs in pubs and clubs with completing his first novel. Bali set about writing a story he had been thinking about for many years. He wanted to write accessible material for children of all ages and backgrounds and realising there were no British Asian authors writing for children, he saw a gap. Bali hopes his novels capture the unique ethnic mix of the UK, of which he is proud to be a part.

Bali writes stories inspired by his working class Punjabi/Sikh background, but his aim was always that his writing should be enjoyed by readers everywhere, irrespective of class or culture. His has the ability to tackle the harsh realities of growing up in the UK and blend this with humour and often a overriding optimism. Bali visits schools and libraries in every major UK city, averaging 70 school and library events a year.

His first book, (un)arranged marriage, created a huge amount of interest and won many awards, including the Angus Book Award and the Leicester Book of the Year. It was also shortlisted for the prestigious Branford Boase first novel award. Rani and Sukh and The Whisper were both shortlisted for the Booktrust Teenage Prize.

All of Bali’s teen titles have been short-listed for awards across the UK, including twice making the Booktrust Teenage Prize shortlist. His third novel Rani and Sukh has represented the UK at the International IBBY awards and this title has its own Facebook tribute group set up by fans. Bali’s first three novels appear in The Ultimate Teenage Book Guide. Bali also writes shorter novels for Barrington Stoke, his first book, Dream On, was selected for the Booktrust’s inaugural Booked Up list. He also writes the hugely popular Soccer Squad series for younger readers.

Reviews

[Ladina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Isch iwie so wie en uufklätigsroman i de schule, so nach em Motto chinde, Droge und Pistole sind scheisse

[BloodOnTheCanvas · Rating 3 out of 5]

just a simple story

[Bibliomaniaque · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un roman haletant dans lequel tout se passe très rapidement. Le livre contient très peu de pages, donc on retrouve des actions du début à la fin. Une histoire qui nous montre à quel point la possession d'une arme peut être dangereuse entre les mains d'une personne désespérée.

[Qsall]

A drive by, a murder scene, and three friends are sent down a path filled with bad decisions. This was a good read.

[Talia Nyx · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good deal darker than I was expecting. But will be great for our older strugglers.

[Eden-jaymes Iti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I decided to read this book because the cover and blurb looked interesting and because one of my friends recommended that I read it.

I likes this book because the story line is relevant to people my age and that any one can snap at any moment even if you have known them for forever.

I have learnt from this book that if you go looking for trouble then you are going to get it, and that if things don't feel right then there probably not.

I found Kamal(character)very interesting because his whole personality was very off as soon as I read his description. His 'crazy' and 'angry' aura just made me wonder why he is the way he is. Also because of the way he went from a very close friend that was thought of as a brother to a cold blooded killer just like that.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bra, spännande och lättläst. Ger mycket att diskutera kring.