The Beckoners

by Carrie Mac

A chilling portrait of the bullying and violence that is all too common in schools, The Beckoners illustrates the lure of becoming tormentor rather than victim, and the terrible price that can be exacted for standing up for what is right. When her mother suddenly moves them to a new town, Zoe is unhappy about leaving behind what passes for a normal life. And when the first person she meets turns out to be Beck, who rules her new school with a mixture of intimidation and outright violence, she is dismayed. But she has no idea how bad things will get. Unsure of herself and merely trying to fit in, Zoe is initiated, painfully, into the Beckoners, a twisted group of girls whose main purpose is to stay on top by whatever means necessary. Help comes from unlikely quarters as Zoe struggles to tear loose from the Beckoners without becoming a target herself, while also trying to save April―or Dog, as she is called―from further torment.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Canada, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary, Teen, Audiobook

Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Four-eyed bookworm, tattooed queer, storyteller nomad mama to two unschooled earthlings, based in East Van, overlooking the shipyard cranes and always ready for the next most amazing giant tiny little big wonderful something to capture my attention.

Or:

When Carrie Mac was born, her right eye gawked off in one direction while her left eye looked the other way. Well meaning adults thought she was a changeling and so they wrapped her up and put her on the porch for the fairies to take back, please and thank you. It was snowing. It was dark. No fairies came. The same well meaning adults decided she'd catch her death out there. So they brought her in and kept her after all.

She's read millions of books, and has sat happily at the feat of a legion of storytellers. She is equally fascinated by disaster and grace. car wrecks, hurricanes, plagues, and genocides on the one hand, small and stunning everyday miracles on the other. She sometimes wishes she were a pirate. She'd often wished she'd run away and joined the circus when she had the chance. She spends a great deal of time in the company of her imagination, and when she isn't, she's wide eyed and awed by this planet and the people running amok all over it.

Reviews

[Trudi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me so uncomfortable for so many reasons...gritty, raw, powerful. At times I almost felt complicit in the brutality and dehumanizing actions of the Beckoners. Mac's immense talent is obvious; she remains in total control of her narrative and I as a reader was swept along for the ride, grimacing, white-knuckled, and nauseated, all the way to the bitter end. My one criticism is that the ending seemed a little too "and they all live happily ever after" for me. Perhaps Mac felt she had put the reader through enough and this was her way of apologizing...of offering a message of hope and optimism. But for me the almost trite resolution seemed out of place in a novel so fierce in its unflinching look at teen violence -- how savage, tribal and unrelenting it has become.

[Laura Lynn · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book took me long to finish, simply because every time I'd pick it up to read it was just too negative and violent and I didn't want to be in the head space. Sure, that's a personal thing, but as someone who was bullied throughout childhood (thankfully not as violent as in the book), it brought back a lot of memories I've tried hard to forget. Really wasn't happy with the way it ended, too depressing. I understand that (unfortunately) stuff like this happens in real life, but I felt like it was way too much for such a short book.
I also couldn't connect with the main character. Why would you purposely go straight to the gang - lead by the same girl who was threatening toward you and your baby sister a day or two before - and join them?
I had a feeling I knew how it was going to end, and sadly I was right. I was dreading reading that part.

[Library Lady 📚 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books I've picked up several times at the library, but never opened it because I'd never heard of it. So even though it sounded good, I'd end up reading something else I got at the same time. Silly me.

Here is this undiscovered gem of a book. All I kept thinking as I listened to it was, HOW THE HELL IS THIS BOOK NOT A PRINTZ AWARD WINNER!!!???? It is so good, and exactly like what they always pick. Except way better. I know it doesn't have the best reviews, but THIS BOOK ROCKS!

It was so grungy and grimy and sad and brutal and depressing and just all around...amazing. One of those books that, as I read, I kept thinking, "Man, I wish I'd written this book." Not in the way of, "I could have done it better," but in the way of, "I wish I was Carrie Mac."

I will never understand why this book isn't rated higher. I loved it. I loved the characters, I loved the evilness of children portrayed here. It's like a modern Lord of the Flies, about bullying and bad parenting and reality. And girls. And cruelty. And conformity. People have complained that it's written strangely, but I had the audio and couldn't tell (and sometimes, you can...ahem *sarahdessen*). It sounded great to me. I liked the reader, and the prose flows well. People have also complained that it dealt with too many issues, but I didn't even notice. I was too busy going squee squee squee all the way home.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book to see if I wanted to potentially do it as a novel study with one of my English classes, and in the end I decided against it.  I had read it before when I was in school and honestly I just forgot how brutal it was.  I just don't feel like I could do it justice in teaching it.  In reading it though, I had a good time.  I felt for the characters, and I was pleased with the ending.

[Shannon Rickert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok so Im astounded by this book. I, I, I this was an awful book to read. I mean you read or some of us read of bullying all the time, but this Oh MAN this is unbelievable. How did the Beckoners (group of girls) get away with so much dreadful, hateful crap especially in school. Holy Moly!!!! I just im in shock right now. I don't know if i should cry more or sit here with my mouth hanging open. When I mentioned to Shane about some of the stuff in the book, he wanted to know what type of person could write something like this. They way they just kept escalating and graphic and . Ok so yes this goes on in real life I get it but whoo hoo, I don't ever want to read this books again. I can't believe I read the whole thing but I wanted to make sure that April would be ok and that the Beckoners would be brought to justice.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

The action in this book propels you forward through the raw violence. A very powerful and brutal story - but I wonder if Carrie Mac tries to do too much. It's almost as though you could run down a check-list of all the YA literature themes: bullying, gang violence, animal cruelty, abandoned father, irresponsible mother, alcoholism, caregiver to younger siblings, homosexuality, rape, etc. All that aside, this would be a definite winner among YA audiences - definitely a page-turner.

[Monica Caldicott]

After moving 9 times in 15 years, you’d think Zoe would be better at figuring out the good and bad people at her new school. She should have known Beck (short for Rebecca) and her girl gang were bad news. So why did she let herself get pulled into their circle? They were horribly mean to everyone, especially a girl they called Dog.

Read p. 1: “They had called her Dog … never wake up at all.”

Now that Zoe has seen how easy it is to cross the line between victim and tormentor, how can she release herself from the death grip of the Beckoners?

[Tina Ihas · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son read this book in grade 9 English and hounded me to read it.

Im giving it 4 stars even though I did notice some grammatically imperfect sentence structures and I pretty much hated all the characters it did involve a powerful response and I know I'm going to think about it going forward.

It is a sad a disturbing book with, to me, and unsatisfactory resolution. If you have kids this book is going to bother you like a mosquito that buzzes around but never really lands.

[Joy Slykhuis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome, brutal, intense, scary, great book. Hard to read, because you're so afraid of how bad things are going to get. Amazing characters, some that you LOVE to hate. So, so very involving. Zoe is new in town, and almost accidentally gets involved with "The Beckoners", a super "exclusive" gang of 5 mean girls, led by Beck, the meanest ever. The "branding" scene is brutal and affecting. It's all brutal and affecting. I was relieved when it was over, but I loved it.

[Flesha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Zoe is thrown into a new town, a new school, a new life when her mother once again makes them move to a new place. Quickly she finds herself in the new school's hierarchy and embroiled in a gang of bullies.

This book just made me mad. The bullying was so over the top and people throughout the book treated each other terribly. The one silver lining is that there are a lot of "what would you do?" moments in the story which will make the reader think.

[Jada Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first time I read this book was when I was in 8th grade back in 2013! I’ve been searching for this book recently for the past couple months. And I finally found it and read it all over again. It’s so good. It’s violent, scary, girl gang. Bullying type of vibe. It leave you off a cliff hanger which I HATE!!! But nonetheless it was amazing. The reviews don’t do justice, you have to read it for yourself for the experience. 5 stars

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was tough to read and quite violent. That said, given the Reteah Parsons and Reena Virk cases, it was timely. It was nice to see a story about bullying looked at from these perspectives.

[Daniela ❀ · Rating 3 out of 5]

wow everyone is absolutely VILE in this… even April lmao

[Pampa91 · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10. too raw and emotional.

[Victoria Waddle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone calls April “Dog.” She’s been bullied all through high school. From being forced to eat a whole box of dog biscuits and retching in the hallway to being beaten within an inch of her life, April has endured the unendurable quietly, hoping to disappear from the Beckoners’ radar. The only good thing in her life is her real dog, Shadow, who follows her everywhere (‘shadows’ her) and loves her without reserve.

Zoe is the daughter of an alcoholic mother (Alice) who jumps into and out of relationships with various men. She spends a lot of time listening to self-help tapes and uses the jargon not to help herself, but rather to point out how others can help her and themselves at the same time. Along with Zoe’s baby sister Cassy, the family of three is always on the move. Zoe is primarily responsible for Cassy as Alice is usually off with a man, hung over, or at work.

When Alice moves her family of three to Abbotsford, Zoe is picked by the Beckoners, headed by Rebecca “Beck” Wilson, to be one of their gang. The fact that Zoe falls in with them is a matter of circumstances. She never wanted to be a part of a gang, and she is sickened by some of the vicious things they do, particularly to April. But she’s afraid not to join, and, once in, she doesn’t know how to get out without risking her life. The last girl to try had her head shaved and tattooed, after which she disappeared.

Zoe is able to make a few real friends. There are Simon and Teo, a gay couple who have their own set of problems fighting prejudice, but who understand just how much trouble Zoe is in. And there’s also Leaf, the editor of the school newspaper. When Mrs. Henley, the English teacher, has an anonymous essay contest to pick the next editor of the paper, April wins. This throws Zoe and April together, even though Zoe has helped to antagonize April in order to stay in Beck’s and the other Beckoners favor.

Mac does a great job of building the tension in The Beckoners. What happens to Zoe and April continues to build in danger as Beck appears to be something of a psychopath. The final torment of the girls, particularly April, is tragic. This is a true bullying book and very realistic. I recommend it for all teens.

High school housekeeping: Carrie Mac is the author of several books in the Orca Soundings series for reluctant readers. The Beckoners is a step up in difficulty from these books. For teens working to improve their reading skills (Read 180, etc.), reading this novel is a great opportunity because you’ll have an author that you know and like, a subject that is riveting, and you’ll see how well a character can be developed in a work that’s a bit longer. This is a great read for all teens, but I’m particularly going to talk it up to those working on improving their reading skills.

One minor criticism (and it is minor): I think that two of the main characters have names that are too much alike—Alice and April. Sometimes I was reading and then realized I had the wrong character in my mind’s eye. My reading of the book would have been smoother with different character names.

NOTE: This review is also posted on my blog School Library Lady.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like reading bully books. This might sound really weird, but bullying is just such an interest topic to me. I love getting a look into the brains of the tortured and their tortures (although most bully books are in the point of view of the bullied). These are usually the books that I don’t want to put down until I know every last detail. The Beckoners by Carrie Mac took the world of bullying to a whole new level.

The Beckoners is about sixteen year old Zoe whose slightly unstable mother moves her family around A LOT. With another move comes another new school. Zoe kind of falls into this vicious clique (or small gang, whichever you prefer) called, you guessed it, The Beckoners. Lead by the always brutal Beck, this group of high schoolers teeter on the fine line between bully and criminals. Zoe quickly realizes she does not want to live the life of a sixteen year old gang member. The need to get out is intensified by her growing friendship (?) with The Beckoners favorite viction, April (also known as Dog). However, once initiated into The Beckoners it’s not so easy to get out.

This book had me pacing and clenching my fist the whole time I read it. I am a big fan of a book that stresses me out (in a good way) while I read it. If I am so invested in a book that I don’t even want to sit down then it’s a good one.

I have never read characters as crazy as Beck and her followers. I had to keep reminding myself that these are 16 YEAR OLD GIRLS. What? That’s insane. I have never in my life met a 16 year old girl as intense and terrifying as Beck. Maybe I just grew up in a nice little happy bubble with nice bullies? No, I just think these girls are psychotic. That being said, they were so interesting to read! Also, Zoe was a great main character. Mac really captured the thoughts of a girl who is used to moving. A girl trying to muddle through high school and the dilemma of which side of the line was better to be on: the victims or the bullies. Mac shows that not everything is as black and white as it may seem. We get to see Zoe’s whole thought process. Zoe had to learn who she really was and what she wanted to stand for. Although, Zoe does have a little life in the Beckoners I think she is a great role model.

The plot of this story was great. There was never a dull moment. Like I said, I was literally pacing while reading parts of this book. The books opens with an introduction to Beck and Dog before launching into Zoe’s story. And it’s probably one of the nicer things she does to Dog in the whole book. It’s a great introduction to just how crazy the book gets.

I give The Beckoners by Carrie Mac 4 out of 5 stars. I would highly recommend this book.

[Japhy Ryder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a huge inspiration to me! It was just like reading about my own life, at a scrappy comp near Reading, U.K. instead of a scrappy public school near Abbotsford BC.

When you start to write about real things, things from your own experience, it's so liberating - anything is 'in scope', and you don't need heists, wars, serial killers just to keep things interesting.

[Maya Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the prologue of this book and was blown away by its naked and raw approach in showing bullying. I connected with the protagonist/ victim "Dog" and found the four or so pages truly heart wrenching. Therefore, I couldn't wait to read on and finish the book because I thought, as would be expected, that if the prologue was that good, the rest of the novel would be even better. I was sorely disappointed. As I read, my heart sank. For although the plot line of a gang of girls who torment a shy outsider is semi-interesting and the character "Dog", who, strangely enough, isn't the protagonist throughout the rest of the story, is intriguing and captivating as your inner voice (you know, the one that has the strong need to give advice to the characters in the novel you are currently reading, in order to create the ending that you think is appropriate) urges her to stand up for herself, and find a way out of this school-age hell, the real protagonist, Zoe, a new girl, has a weak voice as a narrator that thinly strings the story along. I found the descriptions vivid, but not beautifully written. The book was lacking something that I could never quite put my finger on. Overall, I think the book might have been more interesting if the point of view had switched off between Zoe and "Dog," For I realize that the aspect of the book that made it so interesting and different was that the narration came from not the victim, but the person caught in between being a victim and the bully. I really wanted to like this book, the concepts behind the story were interesting, but they weren't executed properly. I find it odd that a novel could have such a good prologue and such a bad rest of the book. Maybe it should have been a series of short stories.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I didn't blog about this for a few days and I've already forgotten most of what happened. A girl moves to another town, again, but this time she falls into the wrong crowd. Beck is the ringleader and she is the type of bully who is the most popular girl in school. She's cruel and takes out much of her frustration on a mousey girl nicknamed Dog. Dog and the main character are forced together by house proximity and working on the newspaper. When the main character attempts to "get out" of the Beckoners, she finds that it's very difficult. The bullying and hazing seemed real--but the very end of the book doesn't seem like it would work. You'll see what I mean. I loved the cover and back-piece of the book, but Orca still needs to work on typeface and text placement on the page--it just doesn't feel comfortable. I felt like I was reading an advanced reading copy instead of a published book.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I didn’t enjoy about this book was how stubborn her mother, Alice, was for not taking Zoe’s opinion for staying at one house until she graduates from high school. I also disliked the bullying of the beckoners for Zoe to join there “group” and become one of them. This made Zoe take risks such as branding herself as one of them and starting bad habits.
What I enjoyed about this book was the tension between Zoe and her mother. She dumped her old boyfriend before they moved and started a new romance behind her back. Also, I liked how throughout the story you found out more of the beckoners past and how they joined the group. Zoe’s best friends, Simon and Tio, always have Zoe’s back and help her realize who her real friends are. Lastly, I love Zoe’s secret romance that brews up with a guy named Leaf and he helps her to get out of the beckoners group and to live her life.

[Todd Lavilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that this book was a bit slow in the beginning, but towards the middle of the book it got more interesting. The things that the main character, Zoe, went through was picture clear. The thing I most enjoyed about the book is the ending. She was given a sword which I personally think translated into courage. She used her sword to stand up and fight against the bully group, The Beckoners. I think this is a great ending because she was able to free her friend from the group. Especially with her sword, it shows that Zoe is truly a hero for standing up against these bullies. I also enjoy the character development. Zoe at first, was very quiet and listened to everything that she was told to do by the beckoners. But towards the end of the story, she was brave enough to stand up for herself.

[Alicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

The opening bullying scene is shocking and a little gratuitous although I understand the shock value and when Zoe gets involved and becomes a "Beckoner" (one of the girls in Beck's posse) she realizes that it was a mistake. Their overt disgust for another classmate, their tendency toward violence and aggression and their attitudes are enough to scare anyone and hope that there really aren't teens out their like them.

It's a sick story of bullies, specficially girl bullies who will stop at nothing to torture others. The middle gets a bit dramatic, but in the end, the good guys win (sort of).

[Clarissa Hom · Rating 1 out of 5]

ridiculously middle grade. some moments were so weird that they were funny but i kind of enjoyed it for that. just let myself go w the strange flow of the story. wacky setups to excuse the conditions of a scene = excusable to get the tropey bullying or love interest or unlikely friendship. she literally crosses the makeshift bridge to the roof to meet her neighbor/lover and creates enemies in the creek/friends in the Janitor's converted closet. the closing scene gave me a bit of Saul's new-house party but on the beach. so. weird.

[Connie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only reason I really read this is because it was on tumblereads.

I've already read The Opposite of Tidy by her and didn't particularly like it. Once again I didn't really like this book.

The plot was hard to believe, and the character's POV made absolutely no sense. Why Zoe's POV, it really lacked a lot. Plus there are these words in the writing that I saw that were just there to create a 'teenage' feel which was very fake.

Next time I will find something else to read.

[LibraryGoddess · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book starts out a little slow, but it is an engaging read after a few pages. Zoe, the new girl at school gets drawn into a group called the Beckoners and doesn't realize until it's too late just what she's gotten into.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wish her editors had let her keep the original ending. I get so angry when I read books where the dogs die instead of people. It's so cheap. I would love to see how the original ending was handled.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book for bullying read alouds. The characters are very believable and "Dog" is such a sad teen. The antagonist, leader of the all girl gang, is a very dynamic character. Look for it in our library.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great teen novel about the impact of bullying at a Canadian school. Builds up the tension to a quite terrifying climax. Just one gripe though - where were all the teachers at the school while the fights etc were going on? Otherwise a gripping read - I read it in one sitting.

[Amra Pajalic · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Beckones was a really dark real life peek into the world of young adults. There were scenes that were so painful and realistic I had awful flash-backs to my youth. The book deals with the way young people gang up on each other and how bullying develops.

[Ryan · Rating 1 out of 5]

i think that this book fuckin sucks dong. carrie mac is probbaly a lesbian. this book had too much stupid fuckin shit for me to handle. i will burn this book after shitting all over the ass worth writing. this book sucks