Target

The Alternative

by Patrick Jones

Moving off the reservation and enrolling at Rondo Alternative High School is supposed to give Frankie a new start. But leaving gang life proves harder than Frankie ever imagined, as his cousins are set on bringing him into the family's dirty business. When Frankie's father is brutalized in prison by a rival gang, Frankie is faced with a decision. Will he take revenge and prove his loyalty to his people? Or can he keep his promise to his mother and find a way out?

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Patrick Jones is the author of five realistic teen novels, most recently Stolen Car((Walker / Bloomsbury, 2008). His first young adult novel Things Change (Walker & Company, 2004) was named by the Young Adult Library Services Association as a best book for reluctant readers, and was runner-up in the Teen Buckeye Book Award selected by Ohio teens. His second novel Nailed was published by Walker / Bloomsbury in spring 2006 and was a runner-up for the Great Lake Book Award. His 2007 novel, Chasing Tail Lights, is nominated for the Minnesota Books Awards. His most recent (and last) professional publication is Connecting with Reluctant Readers (Neal-Schuman, 2006). In 2006, he won lifetime achievement awards from both the Catholic Library Association, and the American Library Association. Jones is a frequent speaker at library conferences, having visited all fifty states, as well as in Canada, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand. Jones grew up in Flint, Michigan, but now lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Read more at his web page www.connectingya.com, including FAQs about Things Change and Nailed (perfect for book reports!). NOTE: After a bruising experience with another author, he's limited his reviews on Good Reads to only raves as not to disturb the "fellowship" of YA writers.

Reviews

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A title in The Alternative series about students attending Rondo Alternative High School. In Target, Frankie's mother has moved him off the reservation, away from his friends and hopefully also away from the influence of gang life. This move also takes Frankie closer to his father, who is in prison for gang activity, and his good-for-nothing cousins who have embraced gang life and challenge Frankie to "do the right thing" and join them. Frankie battles between his desire to be powerful through gang membership and his desire to be free and more than what most of the gang-oriented men in his tribe have become. Attending Rondo may help him make that happen, but not before many challenges and threats come his way, forcing him to make one difficult and possible dangerous decision after another. These books are high-interest/low-vocabulary and are very much like The Bluford Series, but characters are largely Native American and Hispanic rather than African-American. Target seemed respectful of Native American culture, and while there was mention of drugs and guns, it was in a negative light. Gang violence and gang membership were not glamorized, and Frankie's struggle with doing what his father and cousins expect versus what he knows to be right rang true. Students in middle grades and up will enjoy this series, which will appeal to struggling readers as well as students who enjoy reading about school life, following your own path, and growing up.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Frankie and his mom have moved so they can be closer to the prison where his dad has been sentenced. Frankie’s transferred to an alternative learning center, where he meets new friends like Luis and Sofia. But his cousins and his dad are still trying to make him a part of the First Nation Mafia, even though he removed the tattoo marking him. And when rival gang the 26ers takes out his dad’s eye, his cousins try to convince him that payback must come from Frankie.

An ok hi-lo book with plenty of drama, I didn’t connect to Frankie or any of the other teens. The storyline isn’t very fluid and at times I thought it jumped from one thing to the next without a good transition. The cover is strange - a Native American boy holding back his hair in front of a locker. I’m not sure who would pick it up by this alone. The book has lots of white space, short chapters, and is around 115 pages. I haven’t read any of the other books in this series, but I hope they read better than this one.

[Patricia Leitner]

Finally, a great story that is free of cussing. This book is riveting enough, yet clean enough for me to read to a group of students. Great cultural connection and encouragement for kids to do the right thing.