Book Blog - LEAGUE OF STRAYS

Every once in a while, a book comes along that challenges the way you think about black and white, and how you approach the grey in between.  A book that truly makes you wonder, what would I do in this situation? And you hope you'd do the right thing.

L.B. Schulman's LEAGUE OF STRAYS challenges the way we think about bullies and being bullied.  It challenges how we see weakness and strength and what we do with both of them.  The main character, Charlotte, stays firmly in the grey area.  An area where the bullied bully back, where cruelty is matched by cruelty and where apparent strength is shown really to be weakness.

I read this book the day after I finished line edits on Book 2.  And as much as I like to be challenged when I read, what I enjoyed most about it was Schulman's ability to pick up those fine details that make a scene, that define a character.  That's what line edits are all about - picking the "one bright detail" in each scene and making it shine.  Reading LEAGUE OF STRAYS made me see how well that works when it's done right, and made me want to revise all over again, so I could add spark to my own writing.

I feel I have to divulge that Lisa Schulman is a friend.  But even if I didn't know her, I would admire her abilities of description.  And of making her characters and setting unique.

Synopsis:

When a mysterious note appears in Charlotte’s mailbox inviting her to join the League of Strays, she’s hopeful it will lead to making friends. What she discovers is a motley crew of loners and an alluring, manipulative ringleader named Kade. Kade convinces the group that they need one another both for friendship and to get back at the classmates and teachers who have betrayed them. But Kade has a bigger agenda. In addition to vandalizing their school and causing fights between other students, Kade’s real intention is a dangerous plot that will threaten lives and force Charlotte to choose between her loyalty to the League and her own conscience.
(from Goodreads)