Just One Flick of a Finger

by Marybeth Lorbiecki

A young boy takes a gun to school to scare off the bully who has been tormenting him, and the gun is accidentally fired during a scuffle

Genres: Picture Books

40 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1996

Reviews

[JoEllen · Rating 4 out of 5]

‪Forgot I had this powerful book that is unfortunately still necessary and relevant . Just One Flick of a Finger (1996) is written in first person verse, narrator (and readers) explore impact of choices and decisions related to bullying, gun control, and such unnecessary violence. This is one to lean on especially with older readers to help with recent conversations around gun control and more. ‬

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a read-aloud in a sixth grade English class... the students were to mark on a worksheet the Plot Diagram of the story. I thought I had fair warning on the topic of the book, but it became very serious very quickly.

What an idea for a story book... wow! It was written beautifully and I loved the rhyming that the author used throughout the story. It definitely held my attention and is a must-read for the times of today!

[Zhariya Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is scary relevant now, it touches on heavy topics of gun control, bullying, and violence. I initially thought I wouldn’t be able to appreciate it like I wanted to. However, the stories in this book touched me personally, I have lost a lot of peers to gun violence, it was a book I could connect to. This would be a great read for 6th -8th graders because that is round the time when they are reaching puberty and discovering themselves.

[Kim Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just One Flick of a Finger is a story about a young man who has to learn the hard way about the danger of guns and the pressure of wanting to be cool in school. When Jack brings his father's gun to school in order to protect himself from a bully, his friend Sherms tries to warn Jack about the dangers of guns. But Jack is convinced that showing off his gun will gain him respect and he decided to threaten the bully with it. When his friend Sherms sees Jack pulling out the gun, Sherms tackles Jack and ends up getting shot. Sherms survives, and Jack is forever indebted to Sherms for preventing him from making a mistake that would effect him for the rest of his life. Lorbiecki does great job at giving the narrator/main character a strong voice and a relatable demeanor. Many young adults can relate to Jack and his wanting to feel respected and feared during a time in his life when it seems like nobody cares about him. His friend Sherms is the voice of reason in this story and knows first hand how guns can destroy a family. I liked how the text was set up in this story, almost in a poetry format. I thought that added a lot of emotion and passion to the words because you could picture the main character saying them. David Diaz, the illustrator did a beautiful job at capturing the mood and intensity of the story through his drawings. I also liked how the background of each page was a full bleed photograph of an image pertaining to that particular part of the story. The colors of the images were distorted, giving them a more vibrant, urgent feel. I would recommend this book to teachers of upper primary and middle school grades because it is a great way to approach such a serious topic without making the students uncomfortable or disinterested. I think this story would spark a lot of great discussions in the classroom and the students might even be able to come up with some valid solutions to the growing problem of gun violence in schools.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Illustrated by David Diaz.

A boy takes a gun to school to scare off the bully who has been tormenting him, and the gun is accidentally fired during a scuffle. The title: "Just One Flick of a Finger" reminds me very much of the Gun Song from Sondheim's "Assassins", and the line "All you have to do is crook your little finger".

Stunning digital art backgrounds, with lots in them if you look hard enough. The pastel/charcoal illustrations are more detailed than the previous Diaz book I read (Smoky Night, and the facial expressions are really quite powerful. (Overall, although probably due to the theme, this book is more powerful than Smoky Night. Some of that is due to the work of the white author, Marybeth Lorbiecki (a Wisconsinite, hurrah!) and the way in which she chose to write the text.) The text and the art work very closely together, between the backgrounds and the illustrations, and the font, which was designed by Diaz.

On the spread where Sherms' brother Lee comes home, text and illustrations blend together very well: the way the text is set out on the page, tall and thin, mirroring the image on the facing page of Lee, viewed from beneath, tall and imposing, but overshadowed by the bleak walls of the prison, topped by guards with their own guns. The background is harsh, compared to the warmth of the next page. It's a beautiful example of the way picture books are meant to work (no matter what age group they are aimed at) and I credit a lot of that to Diaz' design and layout work as well as his illustrations.

[Sarah Benson]

This picturebook deals with intense and modern issues. The first person, verse like style of the text works well in establishing the narrator and the urban setting and would be most effective read aloud. Bold, stylized paintings are juxtaposed with digitally enhanced backgrounds that work with the intense content of the book.

[Don · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would be a good book for the right child in middle or high school. The read might be hard for some children. The illustrations and colors are beautiful. Using the illustrations only, the book could be used for ELL students/families to write their own story in their native language. I am planning on using this book for a read aloud with gang affected children I work with.

[Katie Nanney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was hard to read because of the topic. I know it's important for kids to know the importance of gun safety and not taking your frustration out on other people. Guns are not toys and when mishandled, you can hurt yourself or others. I would like to keep this book on my shelves for older grades, maybe 3rd and up.

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was about two boys that became best friends. They both talked about wanting guns to be cool. One might one boy took a gun from his dad while he was sleeping. He brought the gun to school to show his friend. His friend flipped out and the guy ended up shooting him. This book shows children how dangerous guns can be.

[Megan Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

THis book tells the story through use of poetry of a teenage boy growing up in an inner city urban area. The boy takes a gun to school to confront a bully and ends up shooting his best friend. The pictures are beautuful watercolors depictions of each scene. I would use this book for third grade and up to show the hazards of playing with guns.

[Denlowa]

Young adult-Alan Review CCBC