BOOK REVIEW: WE'RE DONE by Judy Irwin

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Judy will be awarding a $50 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Click on the banner to see the other stops on her tour.

What if it turns out that YOU'RE the bully - and you didn't know it?

Up until now, life has been good for 13-year-old Luke. He's good at sports, attractive, and he's a big wheel at Heyworth Academy, his private school. He likes to tease, and poke fun at the other kids, but that's just because he likes having fun. But things start to fall apart, six weeks into eighth grade, when Luke commits an act of 'goofing around' that ends up costing him his best friend and his beloved private school.

After he's expelled, Luke transfers to his local school, Carlyle. Now, he's on the outside looking in. His looks, and background (not to mention his Heyworth hoodie), make him stand out, and the tough guys zero in on him right away.

The upside-down world that Luke finds himself in at Carlyle gives him a whole new way of looking at things. Can he recover from losing his school, and his best friend, and find new friends and a way to fit in at Carlyle?

This book is written for the middle school age group and has an important lesson. The good thing about it is that the lesson isn't preachy--Luke sees the issue from the other side, and it's a wake-up call to him.

We're Done is the second book in the series, but the first book does not need to be read to enjoy this one. They are set in the same world with some of the same characters, but can each be read as a standalone.

My only complaint with the book is that issues were left unresolved (the cyberbullying on the part of Luke's sister, the issues with his parents). However, the book is designed as a one-issue book--showing that bullying is wrong, even if it's disguised as "joking"--and is not designed to be a deep look at the issues or Luke's family life. It is, after all, written for the 9-13 year old.

I'm looking forward to the next book in the series and am planning on ordering it for our library--we have some patrons who would really enjoy this book.

About the Author:

Judy Irwin writes books about kids dealing with everyday stuff, like parents and divorce, friendships and bullies, and figuring out how to handle different situations and circumstances. So far, she's written two books: We're Done and What Did You Say? We're Done is about 13-year-old Luke and how he figures out what went wrong when he's kicked out of school for a bullying incident. In What Did You Say?, 12-year-old Tash tries to figure out what life will be like following her parents' divorce. In this book, which takes place at a trailer park up north, Tash first meets Luke, Jon and Polly.

Judy lives in Toronto, Canada, with a dog, a cat, and two hamsters, plus her husband and two children, ages 10 and 13. She studied English Literature at the University of Toronto. She always wanted to be a writer. She wrote her first book in fourth grade - it was about a boy called Japan, who lived in Japan. In addition to writing books, Judy is a freelance business writer.

Find Judy online at

www.JudyIrwin.com
www.amazon.com/author/judyirwin

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