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(Currently titled "Payback") This book in the Bluford High School series became very popular with students and teachers at the middle and high school level. There was some backlash over the title, so the author/publisher changed the title. The story picks up where "The Bully" left off. Tyray Hobbs was a mean bully and Darrell finally stood up to him. Tyray's arm was broken in the fight, and this is where the story begins. Tyray is an angry young man with no true friends and a troubled family. Because of Darrell, other students are standing up to Tyray, and he even gets mugged and beat up. He decided the only way to get his reputation back is to get a gun. He thinks he needs to take Darrell down, and get back at those that have stood up to him. The story is filled with tension and real-life situations that students identify with. Without seemingly preachy or condescending, the story shows that there are always options; that you can make decisions that will change your life for the better. The Gun/Payback are written at about a 4th grade level yet the reader does not feel like he/she is reading a kid's book. Highly recommend this book and the series to struggling and reluctant readers.

The Gun, the sixth book in the popular Bluford High Series, tells the story of Tyray Hobbs, a high school student struggling to regain the respect he's lost. Tyray, formerly known as a powerful bully at Bluford, has been knocked down to earth by Darrell, a classmate he used to bully. Tyray now feels he has to regain his status by any means necessary, regardless of what his actions might cause. As Tyray acquires a gun, his life quickly begins to spiral out of control. Only when he realizes his parents and a caring teacher are on his side does Tyray see what could have happened. ( )

Most students have to deal with being bullied at some point, but in "The Gun," the story is told from the view of the bully himself. Tyray is a troubled teenager from a damaged home, where his father is abusive and his brother in jail. Tyray gets by by being the bully of the school, hassling kids for their lunch money. But that all changes when one kid stands up to him and breaks his arm.

Tyray is no longer the bully of the school, but a source of amusement, and it drives him to drastic steps to try and get back to his former position of being the scariest guy in the school. He gets a gun through some dangerous circumstances, and ends up trying to use it to kill someone in his school; but at the last minute instead tries to kill himself. Then, he realizes that he was wrong and tries to turn his life around with the help of a teacher and his newly receptive parents.

The character of Tyray is compelling in this piece; he's portrayed clearly as a damaged teenager that is conditioned by years of abuse from his father into being unable to seek help. Readers will be able to relate to Tyray as he tries desperately to hang onto the world he knows, in the face of being something he's deathly scared of being; vulnerable. The ending of the story, though, is completely unbelievable; Tyray suddenly decides to accept the help of the adults around him and confess what he's been up to. This is sort of believable considering he had feelings of guilt at varying times in the story; what's not believable at all is a teacher bringing his father to remorseful tears about his actions and wanting Tyray to do better in life. Tyray's father before this is portrayed as nothing more than an abusive jerk, with no redeeming qualities, so the turnaround is quite a surprise. Additionally, the book's cover art is amateurish and the character's proportions are somewhat skewed. Still, the book may have a home with troubled teens looking for a feel good ending. ( )

This is a very popular series for young adults. It contains high interest topics dealing with teen social issues. "The Gun" is very predictable; bully gets upset, wants revenge, comes from a troubled home life, intends to do harm, girl wants to change him, has a life changing experience in the end. Though predictable this is what appeals to teens, especially when contraversial topics such as guns and violence are involved. With all that being said, the story is well written in third person narrative and can be read by all reading levels grades 9-12. ( )