Touch

by Kim Firmston

Ethan is trying his hardest to get some attention from his family, but his dad's focus is always directed towards troubled stepsister Haley. When a dark secret threatens to destroy his family life, Ethan turns to his hacking skills to figure out who to his father or Haley. He must also deal with the fact that he has spent his life striving to be just like his dad, someone he may not really know -- or want to be -- at all.

Genres: Young Adult

144 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2013

About the author

Kim Firmston is a real life mutant – though one without any cool powers. When she is not writing or cursing obvious villain mistakes, she warps young minds in her Reality is Optional Kid’s Writing Club and various writing camps. Kim has written and produced many plays, had a few short stories make it into print, and published five novels (one of them by herself). Kim encourages play, be it in her classes or on her interactive websites. She has also been known to build diabolical devices out of cardboard and old chip bags with prominent DO NOT PUSH buttons.

Reviews

[Kim Ammons (youthbookreview) · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I didn't actually read the full description of the book when I requested it from NetGalley; I saw that it was about a kid who hacks computers and I was sold. For some reason, even though I have very little knowledge of programming or hacking, I'm a huge sucker for young adult fiction about the topic. I think it might be a little of the ol' "gee, I wish I could do that" feeling.

So if you've read this book or even just read the summary of it (which, well, gives away most of the book), then you know that Ethan's stepsister Haley accuses her stepfather--Ethan's dad--of having molested her for the past year. I actually was quite proud of myself when this happened because I had guessed it from earlier in the novel. The thing that got me about the rest of the book was that the whole situation was treated so superficially. Add in an unlikable main character and sub-par writing to the mix and I just wasn't sure how to feel about the book. Nothing about the plot was nuanced, and I feel like child molestation is such a huge topic that you can't really get away with making it the focus of such a shallowly-written book.

For one, Haley's mother has been in love with Ethan's dad and been manipulated by him for years and years, but as soon as Haley confesses the molestation to her mother, her mom goes berserk and kicks Ethan's father out. Now don't get me wrong, I thought that was an awesome reaction, but how true to real life is it? Don't many victims of sexual assault find it hard to convince someone that a loved one has been assaulting them? Doesn't Ethan's father kind of have Haley's mom wrapped around his finger, in which case, wouldn't Haley have had a harder time trying to convince her what had happened? For that matter, why did Haley decide to come out about the molestation now? Good for her for no longer keeping silent, but it was just never addressed in the novel. Haley was the most interesting (the only interesting?) character in the book and we don't really get to find out much about her.

I'll definitely give the book points for addressing a topic that I found fascinating: the idea of accepting a fallen idol. Ethan seriously idolizes his father, constantly trying to emulate him and attempting to utilize the "power tricks" that his dad teaches him. He even goes so far as to steal someone else's robot plans for a competition even though he knows it's wrong just because his father says that it's necessary for being a winner. It makes sense that Ethan wouldn't believe the accusations at first, and when he finally does, he has to go through the process of basically reprogramming himself to undo all of his father's horrible brainwashing and parenting. I just don't think that any of this was really well handled or described. In fact, I think I went into more description in this paragraph than the actual book did.

I will admit that I stayed up late into the night reading this book because it was so short and I really wanted to know what happened next, but I was so unsatisfied with the way the serious topics were treated. It was a quick, easy read that I was eager to finish, so I'll give it that, but this book needs a LOT of editing for it to become good. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to recommend it to any of my middle schoolers because I don't want them to read such a shallow piece about such a serious situation.

[Brandi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only made it through the first chapter. The kid is making a virus that his dad taught him, because he wants to impress him, and he loads it to the school's system, but the whole thing is too improbable for me to give it any chance of my believing it. You don't even have to be well versed in the nature of viruses to not believe how this went down, which I'm not particularly, but my mister is and I verified with him. So, virus planting--fail, and it only ate the letter 'e' not consumed everything, making it more of a pain in the ass and not the end of the world.

Drum asks, a worried look passing over his brown face, dreadlocks hanging in his eyes.

That's his bff not wanting him to use his laptop but ol' boy doesn't want to use his own.

Apparently adults are too dumb to know how to work computers, and don't have any IT support.

"Go to the office!" the teacher snaps, now suspisious Johnny is the hacker. So dumb.

Oh wait, there's this kid who they use for tech support, my bad.

It doesn't hurt that he's good looking too with shiny black hair and smooth tan skin.

"Sorry, I don't know anything." Antoine shrugs. "But," he gives the teacher one of his steady gazes, flicking his hair like a pop star, "maybe I can fix it."

But our MC said he wasn't "brave" enough to unleash a virus. Because that's not stupid, it's brave?!

Our boy also had father son bonding time and reprogrammed his student ID card to read....Steve Jobs, instead of his name. Good thing he's the smartest person in that school! He then runs his "clean up" virus, as it were, to get rid of the one that eats all the letter e's and grumbles to himself that he's the one who should be being thanked, not Antoine.

Then in the beginning of chapter 2, yeah all that nonsense was in one chapter, he meets up with his girlfriend(?) and she's talking about the robot she's building for robot wars, and asks him if he has "IS1U60 IR receivers", and I just refused to go further. It says that there's only some 152 pages in the print book, so it would only take a a few minutes of my time to read, but I just can't. I'm done.

[Amy H · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

this book was great! very heartfelt. i couldn't help but feel bad for this kid.

Ethan is 16 years old and he idolizes his dad. his dad is a computer programer and boy can he hack. his dad made a virus that would wipe out all the "e" on someone's computer. well, Ethan thought it would be some good bonding if he took it and fixed it and released it on the school site.

Being very proud of himself that his dad would watch the news or read the hacker blog site to get at least of smile from his dad he rushed home. But, to his surprise his dad didn't even noticed. even when he yelled to his dad to watch the news.

Haley is a 15 year old girl and is Ethan's step sister. his dad married Haley's mom. their parents are madly in love and Haley and Ethan have a good relationship. Ethan is jealous of Haley. Haley gets in trouble for stealing and his dad buys her the neck less that she stole. Haley gets a vampire tattoo and she gets a shopping spree at the mall. So, today of all days she cuts her hair spiky and gets red tips with a eye brow ring and she gets a movie night with dad and her friends. The funny thing is that Haley is not happy. Since her makeover she can't stop crying and she is very hateful to Ethan's dad and him. He tried playing the nice brother, all he got was yelled at.

to top off Ethan's bad day his girlfriend and best friend had asked him to join their robot team for school. So, with his help for the robot with his dads advice gets him on the wrong side of friendship with his best friend and girlfriend. now feeling alone he needs his friends more than ever

coming home from school he finds out that Haley is stating that his dad touched her in bad places and now is not in the house. Ethan thinks he is arrested for it and doesn't believe his step sister. with all the anger that he is boiling up he says the wrong things and ends up getting kicked out.

Ethan make its top business to find out the truth and save his relationship with his best friend. When Ethan uses his skills for good and not bad will the outcome change his life forever?

[Kristen Jett · Rating 2 out of 5]

What happens when the one person you look up to does something unforgivable?

This is a tough book for me to rate. In fact, I nearly gave it up to switch to another book very early on because of one thing: the main character (Ethan) instantly seems unlikeable. Why he behaves the way he does is soon made clear and the reader can understand the motivation behind his rather horrid and annoying behavior. I am glad I finished it, as the ending left me more pleased with the book.

I can understand that there is a lot of emotions that a boy in this experience would be going through. If your idol did something horrible, would you believe it without tangible proof? Maybe not.

Character wise, I really liked Haley. Had the book not included her, I might have dropped it. While I like the perspective of the brother, in this particular case I wonder if I would have enjoyed the book more had it been written from Haley's perspective. Her emotions and pain - which to me should be prominent in a story about her abuse - were lightly brushed over with a "Oh, she's acting up. Oh she tore her room apart. Oh she chopped her hair off and dyed it" without really ever digging in deep.

As I've said, Ethan is unlikable for nearly the complete book - which is what knocks the book down a few points for me. I need to like the character telling me the story. I need to relate to them. I need to connect...and I simply couldn't here.

The writing style makes me think of a younger crowd than the YA novels I typically read. Were the subject content lighter, I'd nearly put this into MG.

Overall: 2.5

[Ranie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful short story with a shocking twist on trust and family value....

[Michele Brack]

I had never heard of this book or this writer before, but I wanted something small and light to come after I Know My First Name Is Stephen and this one sounded kind of interesting.

The back cover of the book made it sound like this kid, who is a hacker, was going to use his skills on the computer to find out that his dad was maybe a secret agent for the government and who was now in trouble and had to be rescued or something.

Nope.

Turns out his computer skills were completely unnecessary and all he does is find out that his father has been touching his step-sister inappropriately.

The end.

Meh.

[Chrissy · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I was sent TOUCH by Kim Firmston, for review purposes, I decided to take a peek at the publisher's website before beginning -- just to get a better idea of what to expect. What I learned was actually pretty interesting. TOUCH is part of a group of books that are really geared towards more reluctant readers. That said, it is intended to be at a lower reading level (3rd to 6th grade) but with a higher age level in terms of interest (perhaps 7th to 12th grade). Pretty cool concept, I think.

So, this particular story deals with a few weighty topics, although I won't detail those in case you haven't read the full description -- mostly because I think I may have enjoyed the book a bit more if the details on description of the book hadn't been quite so revealing. The shock value of the issue at hand probably could have added more intrigue to the story, but the rundown on this website for the book really just lays everything out on the table, unfortunately.

Basically, a teenage boy tries to get his father's attention by hacking into the school system and unleashing a virus that was once his father's trademark. The virus is fairly harmful, doing little more than creating minor irritation, but he is sure his father will take notice and be proud (which seems a bit weird, no?)

Anyways, not only does his father NOT pay a bit of attention to the news release on the virus, he also ends up being engaged in criminal activity that hits a bit too close to home for his son. Of course, his son is conflicted on what to believe, and the remainder of TOUCH describes his own conflict in trying to reconcile the event.

This was a pretty good read and it was definitely a fast paced story that could be read in a single setting. Given that I'm most definitely not a reluctant reader and that I'm not particularly drawn to high action stories, I'm not really the target audience for TOUCH. Even so, I could see young teenagers who really don't enjoy reading perhaps taking a chance on this one. I mean, there's not much to lose if it can be read this quickly, right?

I would definitely check out others like this, though. The whole idea of advanced subject matters at a lower reading level is a pretty neat idea, so kudos to the author for making it work!

[Lectus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Via http://onlectus.blogspot.com/2013/06/...

The book is fast paced and Ethan, the main character is very unlikeable. Thank god I “discovered” that Lorimer Sidetreets is like chapter books. Once I came to that conclusion, I was able to get into the book.

Ethan idolizes his dad and wants to be just like him. Touch opens with Ethan trying to make his father proud by hacking the school computer system with a funny virus that doesn’t lead to serious consequences.

Later, Ethan is advised by her father to cheat on a project for a robot competition at school.

Here I was like “seriously? What kind of book is this?” Don’t despair my people, it all makes sense!

As I said before, ,i>Touch is a quick read that deals with issues of dishonesty, trust, doing what is right, arrogance and even humbleness. I think this is a fantastic read for middle school students.

Given, at the beginning the story is a little slow, but once you are past that, it goes fast.

Haley, Ethan’s sister, accused their father of sexually molesting her. And what does Ethan do? He doesn’t believe her and sides with his father!

I think this is the part where many bloggers have issues with the story. In cases like this, we assume that everybody is going to be on the victim’s side. But remember, Ethan adores his father and he has no reason to believe Haley.

I found this to be very realistic. How many times have you read about kids telling their mother that they are being sexually abused but their moms refused to believe them? I have read that a lot. So I was not surprised to see that Ethan, merely a teen, is in denial too.

What follows up after this revelation is what makes the book so appropriate for teens. Without going into gore details, we learn how Ethan deals with his father not being quite the role model he thought him to be.

The story is simple and quite to the point. If you are expecting something deep, profound, or heart breaking, you’ll be disappointed. Once again, the story is a fast, uncomplicated read perfect for teens.

[Rachelia (Bookish Comforts) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Touch is a very simple story: Ethan is yearning for some attention from his father, and so he decides to unleash a fairly harmless virus that his father taught him that he has “upgraded”. Instead of gaining his father’s attention and pride, he is soon overshadowed by his step-sister’s accusations that she is being molested … by their father.

First of all, I want to acknowledge that this book is geared for young adults who have low literacy levels (Fry reading level - grade 3.1). However, I think the problems I have with the book could (and frankly, should) be addressed using the simplistic writing style. I won’t accept the fact that it is written for low literacy levels be an excuse.

Onto the problems I had with this book. Where do I start? First of all, Ethan, the main character, was a complete jerk: to his friends and classmates, his girlfriend, his sister and his stepmom. I understand that he learned many of his tactics and attitude from his father, but I could not in any way find his character likeable or be sympathetic to him. He read as very immature, even though he was in grade 11. Honestly, until it was pointed out, I thought he was like in grade 7! Creating a virus that had sheep eat the letters “e’s” off a screen just didn’t seem like something a grade 11 boy would think is cool, but maybe I’m wrong. He also tries to pressure his girlfriend into having sex with him as a reward for helping with her robotics club project! And he cheats in robotics club and tries to blame the guy he cheated off of. Nice guy, huh? Perhaps I could have dealt with his horrible attitude if there had been any character development at all. However, none of the characters are really dynamic or experience any sort of growth. I did like one character, Drum, his best friend, who was a very caring, empathetic young man, but I’ll get to that in a little bit.

You can read the rest of this review here, at Bookish Comforts.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

I decided to read this today purely because it was so short. I went in rather apprehensively too, I must admit, having seen the overall low rating here. I was fully prepared to quit reading a chapter in, expecting it to be terrible.

I didn't find it terrible at all! Yes it was short and quick and not very detailed at times, but I found the storyline quite compelling. No, Ethan is not a loveable kinda guy, but he's interesting. I thought the Hungry Sheep virus that went out of control was damn funny too, and was miffed on his behalf when his dad didn't even notice it thanks to that bloody attention-seeking Haley!

Until the truth came out, I did not like Haley at all. Seeing her through Ethan's eyes only she comes across as bratty and whiny and selfish. But then things take a turn as both reader and Ethan find out what's up... that Ethan's dad (her stepdad) has been molesting her. We have no reason to disbelieve her, but Ethan is certain she must be lying, and sets out to clear his dad's name. Instead, he stumbles across some rather unsavoury photos of Haley in his dad's collection. Haley admits there are even more, worse ones out there, and Ethan goes on a cyber trek through many file hosting sites in order to track them down. His dad taught him the business of hacking well... and it's his downfall!

The Elizabeth Allen 'twist' was a neat one. I recognised the name instantly from the Enid Blyton book, but thought nothing of it because it's a simple enough name to be common! I was more suspicious of Haley's other new FB friend, "John Smith". I didn't suspect his dad to be EA! Creepy.

I liked how surprising this book was. It's almost a pity it was so short, but then if it had been longer I probably wouldn't have picked up a book about a teenage male computer hacker.

Also how did Antoine know that Ethan had copied his code?! Ethan said it himself, he'd come exceptionally close to cracking the problem on his own, so it's not unlikely that he COULD have worked out how to fix the robot with his own brain. It's funny because what Ethan does is sneaky and underhanded, but you can't help but root for him over Antoine.

[In Search of the End of the Sidewalk · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you’re like me and always scroll to the bottom of a book review to see what “ranking” it received before going back through and reading the review itself, let me warn you that this one is a bit deceptive. Don’t give up on this book just because I didn’t love it. Touched by Kim Firmston is the kind of book I would buy for my classroom in a heartbeat even though on a personal level I didn’t love it. You see, as a middle school teacher, I often ran into 8th graders who were reluctant to pick up a book. For a variety of reasons, reading wasn’t fun for them- it was work and no one wants more work. This book is written for those who may shy away from books because their reading level doesn’t match their interest level when it comes to many of the options on the library shelves.

Touched is about Ethan, a high school student with amazing computer skills. When Ethan feels like his dad isn’t paying him enough attention, he decides to use his electronic aptitude to make his dad sit up and notice him. Ethan hacks into his school’s central computer system, installing a virus that he is sure will catch his father’s attention, since his dad works in electronic security. But it doesn’t because his father is too preoccupied with Ethan’s step-sister’s meltdown.

Read the rest of this review (and more!) at www.insearchoftheendofthesidewalk.com

[Summer · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first couple chapters of this book are absolutely unbearable. The author clearly has no idea how computers or hacking actually works... and makes adults out to be ridiculously stupid about technology. This book has a really interesting premise to it, but I'm really disappointed with how it was handled especially the vessel by which the story was being told- Ethan- who was hard to relate to or sympathize with at all. I understand how difficult it is to adjust when your hero-especially your father- turns out to be something you never dreamed of and you're ashamed of, and how you might want to clear their name... but with so many blatant and obvious signs around him, I can't understand why it took so long or so drastic an action to make him realize it. The book gets its two stars for addressing a very real threat that most authors don't want to touch, but neither the way it was written or the events that took place thereof really impressed me. The most impressive part is in the last few chapters with a gush of character revelations that teens will probably be all over.

[Sherrie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a hi-lo young adult book in the style of the Orca series. This book is the story of a 16 year old hacker in a blended family dealing with allegations that his father has sexually abused his step sister. The only factor that got me through this book was the fact that I was assigned to read it for a book review for a magazine. If I were reading it independently, I would have been abandoned within the first 50 pages or less. There characters are thinly written and quite unlikeable. The dialog seems awkward, perhaps due to the Canadian setting but overall it just doesn't ring true. Rating- one star, only recommended if the subject matter is a solid match to the interests of a reluctant reader. For library purchases, spend your dollars on the much better Orca Currents or Orca Soundings series instead.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was ehhhhhhhh not so great. It was pretty short--I started reading it in the afternoon and was finished with it by that evening. I felt like the story wasn't quite developed enough. I didn't really like Ethan...the story was barely it was interesting enough to keep my attention. The way Ethan acted didn't always make sense. It touched (no pun intended) on a couple hard topics and I didn't love how they were dealt with, and there were one or two words I could've done without. I wouldn't read it again. Wasn't the worst book ever but I really wasn't fond of it.

Note: I was provided this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ethan, the main character, is a computer whizz and more than anything wants to get his father's attention. His younger step sister is going through a phase and is rewarded every time she acts out.

Ethan isn't very appealing and I wondered why his girlfriend and best friend bothered with him. As the story develops and you begin to see what is really happening I did start to feel sorry for him.

This novel deals with a difficult subject in a sensitive manner without going into details and would be a useful book to have available for younger teenagers to read.

[Dana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book free to review from Netgalley. I appreciate that it is a high interest/low reading level book. I found the characters, however to be just not likable and a bit unbelievable. Ethan is too simplistic at times in his wanting to please and imitate his father. He is also a jerk. I wish the author could have made him more likable.

[Elizabeth Curington · Rating 1 out of 5]

The pacing was too fast and never let the action/drama build. For a very serious issue, the mom and friends took the issue too easily as well. I was disappointed.