Grass

by Cathy MacPhail

Leo knows you don't diss your friends and feels sorry for whoever Sharkey is as the gang don't like him.
Unlucky for him he spots a gang member murder another. What should he do? Especially as the gang member has also spotted him.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, School, Crime

Paperback

First published August 3, 2009

About the author

Catherine MacPhail

Reviews

[Sara Rothery · Rating 4 out of 5]

good book for kids stepping into crime and how to see through the adult lies will tell to manipulate. it happens usually a little faster and more violent but a good way of introduction.

I'd like to know what happens to Leo in life... it could start a good series.

[Izzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

read as a child - approx '09-'12

[Emma (BelleBooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book follows the story of Leo who has a pretty ordinary life.
He lives at home with his parents and 5 year old brother, goes to school. and has a best friend who he likes to explore abandoned buildings with.
One day Leo witnesses a violent murder and his life is turned completely upside down.
Before he knows it he is working for one of the local gang leaders and going against everything he has ever been told about what is right and what is wrong.

I really loved this book, it is set in and around the Glasgow area so I found it pretty easy to imagine the scenery around Leo. Some of the language used in the book is also local slang, which made it that much more interesting to me as I have never read that in a book before!

The story itself is easy to follow and the reader can see how easy it actually is for a young boy to wind up in Leo's position, being sucked into the gang world!

I really loved the ending of this book, it was very cleverly thought out and I did not see that coming at all! I would recommend this book to everyone as it has a really good point to the story, and isn't too long to read. It can be read in one sitting.

I've even got my little brother reading this book at the moment, and her loves it! Even though he has never really been interested in reading before! I think it is because it's set here where we live and Leo is around the same age as my brother, it is something that could easily happen to him!
If your looking for a book for a boy to read, I would recommend this one!

[Polly Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a gem! From the outset, Cathy MacPhail paints a glorious picture of what it means to live in gang territory. Sean, the main character, has a realistic mixture of fascination and horror at the world he inhabits. He is an absolute innocent, drawn slowly and almost unbearably seduced into the midst of a situation that sickens him. As a reader, I found myself also drawn into the dreadful dilemmas and sympathetic to Sean's efforts to "do the right thing", yet the cynic within me spotted the dangers long before he did.

The knock-on effect of each of Sean's decisions is so beautifully understated that it is only the accumulation that eventually makes the plot take a drastic turn. The ingenious conclusion proves satisfying, without coming accross as contrived in any way. One boy's wits against so many potential dangers.

This book should be required reading for anybody involved in social policy making - it makes it so easy to understand the motivations for youth gang involvement.

[Sarah Dean · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really tried to like Grass because I normally like books about gang warfare and, granted, it highlighted issues associated with gangs like, for example, the MC - Leo - was being used and the gang leader was so good at manipulating the MC that he actually believed he was doing the right thing but the way the book was executed was sloppy. There was far too much soul-searching in this book for me and it took until the second to last chapter until something seen as mild-action was revealed.
Grass let me down big time and I really can't believe I wasted all that time reading it because it was SOOOOO boring. So, I wouldn't recommend this book to those for a love of action but for those that like something more realistic than this would be good for you.

[Lorraine Fotheringham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me riveted from start to finish.
The author draws the reader in from the word go. Two young, school friends lives are torn apart by bully mafia style barons. Several housing estates are owned by these thugs, they ruin good law abiding citizens, but it is tolerated as no-one wants to be known as a grass. They would face a severe beating or at worse murdered.
Until one day, one of the friends witnesses a local big man, murders another thug.
Scared to come forward is embroiled into their world losing friends, family and espect in the process. He must stand up to them and change the way they rule everyone's lives.
I was gripped to find out what he would do next, would he be able to tell someone, would he stand up to the big man, read this and find out.

[abookishuniverse · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a boy named Leo who lives in a gang controlled Irish city. It is a very short but interesting book because it depicts his struggles when he becomes involved with one of the town´s gang leaders by accident. He becomes entangled in a series of events that threaten his relationships with his friends and family.
I honestly really enjoyed this book because it has a fairly simple plot but the gang related things really made it pop for me. I loved all the secrets and missions. The characters weren´t really developed but it is a short book and I also don´t think that it is super neccesary to do that.
All in all, it is a really fun and urban book that I think any person of any age would enjoy.

[Jenni · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tense and gripping read that really made me think. Interesting to read it as an adult, I think I may well have seen some if it differently if I was reading it as a teen - there's lots of potential here for discussions. So interesting to see the way Armour manipulated Leo, a pretty stark reality of how things must be happening as young teens are drawn into the criminal underworld. Loved the relationship between Leo and his little brother David.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great! Takes place in Scotland. Leo witnesses a murder committed by one of the gang leaders in town. The leader knows that Leo saw him and 'befriends' Leo. This is a great story of growing up, trust, loyalties to friends and families and making important decisions. This is perfect for a middle school or high school library.

[Joshua lukeee bend · Rating 4 out of 5]

really loved the ending of this book, it was very cleverly thought out and I did not see that coming at all! I would recommend this book to everyone as it has a really good point to the story, and isn't too long to read. It can be read in one sitting, or in my case a few hours. I just couldn't put this book down! Great book!!!

[Sarah Broadley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leo and his friend, Sean are massive C.S.I fans. Little did he know that he would end up in the wrong place at the wrong time and now needs to find way out out of a gang he should never have become involved in. A fantastic, gritty story of friendship, fear and teenage boredom all rolled into one spectacular tale full of twists and turns. Just brilliant.

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great story on how people can easily get caught up in gang's and crime the only problem was the book is based around the main character being....naive and simply stupid. I can sympathize but a crappy main character does kill a book quickly for me....

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grass is enjoyable enough, with a great story and a realistic hero, but it's executed sloppily and the characters are less than appealing friends, especially Sean.

[Tom Wilko]

its awsome

[Emma Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had me guessing until the last.

[Tampines House]

B21700835D