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Inits
Alex Starkey is a normal teenager with unfortunate initials. Initials which have been his nemesis his entire life. Initials matter when all the kids call each other by them instead using their names.
If that isn’t awkward enough, there’s Payne, who’s made a career out of bullying kids he thinks deserve it. Alex’s inits make him a target. Alex can deal with that on his own, until Payne crosses the line and tries to force him into doing things with long-range consequences. That’s when Alex stands up and faces him down.
If that isn’t awkward enough, there’s Payne, who’s made a career out of bullying kids he thinks deserve it. Alex’s inits make him a target. Alex can deal with that on his own, until Payne crosses the line and tries to force him into doing things with long-range consequences. That’s when Alex stands up and faces him down.
186 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 6, 2014
About the author
K.C. Sprayberry
169 books168 followersA lifetime of observing people around her has given K.C. Sprayberry many insights into the human condition. Now that she's in her retirement years, she takes those experiences and turns them into stories that have attracted many.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
July 23, 2014
Can you imagine going though your school years known by nothing but your initials? For those people with cool initials,like FBI or CIA, that's great. If you have one of those first names handed down by the family for generations, like Lucinda or Horace, you might agree too, but what if your initials weren't so great? What if they spelled a word you'd rather not be known as? Parents sometimes don't take time to realize how detrimental names and initials can be. Such is the case for poor old Alex, the freshman hero of K.C. Sprayberry's new YA novel, Inits.
Alex dreads his freshman year in small town Georgia where everyone is known by their initials rather than their names. His brother, RAS, a senior, is the high school's star quarterback, while he's a member of the school's marching band. When I read the first paragraph, I was plunged into memories of the line "One time, at band camp," but Alex takes his music seriously. In fact, being on the school band isn't his problem--it's PAT, the school bully, who goes out of his way to make Alex's life, and that of his best friend JAZ, miserable.
In her novel, K.C. not only examines the bully's behavior,but also delves into the attitudes of the adults who simply make things worse, not on purpose, but simply by being adults--a father and vice-principal who don't understand the complexities of being bullied, teachers who place Alex in situations where the bullying can only get worse, and a big brother and fellow classmate who think they're helping, but just mess things up more.
As Alex works through his freshman year, attempting to deal with all of his bully-related problems and hopes and dreams, everyone who's ever been the target of a bully will empathize. This is a great novel--well written with touches of pathos and humor, and a reminder to all to think twice before naming their children. Well done.
Alex dreads his freshman year in small town Georgia where everyone is known by their initials rather than their names. His brother, RAS, a senior, is the high school's star quarterback, while he's a member of the school's marching band. When I read the first paragraph, I was plunged into memories of the line "One time, at band camp," but Alex takes his music seriously. In fact, being on the school band isn't his problem--it's PAT, the school bully, who goes out of his way to make Alex's life, and that of his best friend JAZ, miserable.
In her novel, K.C. not only examines the bully's behavior,but also delves into the attitudes of the adults who simply make things worse, not on purpose, but simply by being adults--a father and vice-principal who don't understand the complexities of being bullied, teachers who place Alex in situations where the bullying can only get worse, and a big brother and fellow classmate who think they're helping, but just mess things up more.
As Alex works through his freshman year, attempting to deal with all of his bully-related problems and hopes and dreams, everyone who's ever been the target of a bully will empathize. This is a great novel--well written with touches of pathos and humor, and a reminder to all to think twice before naming their children. Well done.
Displaying 1 of 1 review