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Book Reviews of The Burn Journals (Ira Children's Book Awards (International Reading Association))

The Burn Journals (Ira Children's Book Awards (International Reading Association))
The Burn Journals - Ira Children's Book Awards International Reading Association
Author: Brent Runyon
ISBN-13: 9780375826214
ISBN-10: 0375826211
Publication Date: 9/14/2004
Pages: 384
Reading Level: Young Adult
Rating:
  • Currently 4.3/5 Stars.
 16

4.3 stars, based on 16 ratings
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Book Type: Hardcover
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

3 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

reviewed The Burn Journals (Ira Children's Book Awards (International Reading Association)) on + 37 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Interesting, well written. Didn't give as much insight into teen suicide as I had hoped. The author also seemed to have been "cured" much more easily than I've generally thought possible.
reviewed The Burn Journals (Ira Children's Book Awards (International Reading Association)) on + 13 more book reviews
Excellent book
Chocoholic avatar reviewed The Burn Journals (Ira Children's Book Awards (International Reading Association)) on + 291 more book reviews
At times darkly comic and other times heart-wrenching, this is the memoir of eighth-grader Brent Runyon who has been quietly struggling with depression. After one particularly bad day at school, Brent decides to end it all and sets himself on fire, burning over 85% of his body. This happens in the first 25 pages or so of the book; the rest of the book is devoted to his slow recovery process. This book is not my usual reading fare; I usually read books in the horror genre. Having said that, certain parts of this book were really hard for me to read and readers with a queasy stomach are advised that certain scenes are incredibly difficult to read and visualize...there was more than one place where I put the book down and considered quitting it. In the end, I'm glad I stuck with this book and I'm glad that Brent was able to make the recovery that he has.