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Scum
Megan's brother Danny is dead.
Killed in an apparent robbery in a bar. It seems like a terrible but simple case of mistaken identity, of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. But as the truth comes out, Megan realizes that Danny was "known to police." He was in much deeper than she realized, and the police are not motivated to solve the crime. As Megan watches her family self-destruct, she decides she has to find the truth. But the truth is hard to come by, and there are people who will kill to keep it hidden.
This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for teen readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read!
Killed in an apparent robbery in a bar. It seems like a terrible but simple case of mistaken identity, of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. But as the truth comes out, Megan realizes that Danny was "known to police." He was in much deeper than she realized, and the police are not motivated to solve the crime. As Megan watches her family self-destruct, she decides she has to find the truth. But the truth is hard to come by, and there are people who will kill to keep it hidden.
This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for teen readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read!
95 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2008
About the author
James C. Dekker
2 books3 followersJames C. Dekker lives in Toronto, Ontario, and, as far as he knows, is not known to police.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
May 27, 2009
This book lacked something, but I can't put my finger on what. The story told from the point of view of a girl whose brother is shot in a bar. The aftermath of this tragedy affects each family member in a different way. Maybe what the book lacked was a climax, or a definite ending. It just petered out. It left me unsatisfied; nevertheless, it's not too bad a read, if only for the interaction between the family members.
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May 20, 2019This was a shorter book about a guy who died and his sister digging into his life and trying to keep her parents together while finding out who killed her brother. It was a short, enjoyable read.
May 7, 2025
I'm not the typical reader of this book. This is a very short book, less than 100 large-type pages which took me not much more than an hour to read, so it usually read by younger readers - like my son who was writing a book report on this book. My son had a negative opinion about this book, so I decided to read it for myself and see if he was right. And unfortunately, I do agree with him. I didn't like this book very much. It is not a classic "whodunit" mystery book like might seem from the cover. The book is also neither very insightful nor interesting.
The book does begins like a classic mystery book: Danny, the older brother of protagonist Megan, is found shot dead in a bar. The police, Megan and her parents (Maria and Paul) all try to figure out why he was killed, and by whom. It turns out that even though everyone is sad that Danny was murdered, nobody is really surprised: Danny was already "known to the police" as a drug dealer, and Megan and both her parents already knew about his criminal enterprise. But before Danny died each one of them kept this secret from the other, each thinking he was the only one to know this secret. After Danny dies, the family collapses. The successful working mom barely leaves her room and doesn't talk to her family; The husband becomes obsessed to find the killer, and the protagonist - Megan - also begins to hang around the shady downtown bar where her brother was murdered, to investigate. Megan befriends a young busboy in the bar (Titch), and unfortunately this get him killed as well - apparently when the killers fear that the kid might have seen them at the bar and might turn them in.
At the end of the book, there is no real resolution - and the killer is not revealed. Megan, everyone else, and I the reader, realize that Danny was a petty criminal, heavily involved with other criminals and one of them killed him - there will be no happy ending or interesting plot twists or surprise about who the murderer is. Danny was doomed the moment he entered the life of crime, and when he refused the separate suggestions of his sister, his father and his mother, to stop dealing drugs. His family should now focus on their own well being and their own love, instead of obsessing about what they could have done differently with Danny. At the end of the book, there is a hint that this might eventually happen, when for the first time in the book, Megan's father tells her that he loves her - although the mother is still depressed and distant. The reader will have to imagine how in the future this sad family will go back to their normal lives, because the book doesn't tell us.
The book does begins like a classic mystery book: Danny, the older brother of protagonist Megan, is found shot dead in a bar. The police, Megan and her parents (Maria and Paul) all try to figure out why he was killed, and by whom. It turns out that even though everyone is sad that Danny was murdered, nobody is really surprised: Danny was already "known to the police" as a drug dealer, and Megan and both her parents already knew about his criminal enterprise. But before Danny died each one of them kept this secret from the other, each thinking he was the only one to know this secret. After Danny dies, the family collapses. The successful working mom barely leaves her room and doesn't talk to her family; The husband becomes obsessed to find the killer, and the protagonist - Megan - also begins to hang around the shady downtown bar where her brother was murdered, to investigate. Megan befriends a young busboy in the bar (Titch), and unfortunately this get him killed as well - apparently when the killers fear that the kid might have seen them at the bar and might turn them in.
At the end of the book, there is no real resolution - and the killer is not revealed. Megan, everyone else, and I the reader, realize that Danny was a petty criminal, heavily involved with other criminals and one of them killed him - there will be no happy ending or interesting plot twists or surprise about who the murderer is. Danny was doomed the moment he entered the life of crime, and when he refused the separate suggestions of his sister, his father and his mother, to stop dealing drugs. His family should now focus on their own well being and their own love, instead of obsessing about what they could have done differently with Danny. At the end of the book, there is a hint that this might eventually happen, when for the first time in the book, Megan's father tells her that he loves her - although the mother is still depressed and distant. The reader will have to imagine how in the future this sad family will go back to their normal lives, because the book doesn't tell us.
April 26, 2018
I liked this book scum because this book was an adventure and mystery/crime book. This girl named Megan her brother Danny has died in a bar fight/Shooting. It's good and bad because its a mistaken case of the wrong identity and he was in the wrong place and at the wrong time. When Megan goes and talks to the police she finds out that her brother isn't so innocent and that he is actually kind of a criminal. The police aren't that "motivated" to find the people that did this to her brother. When Megan goes looking for clues and she can not find one clue because they covered their tracks really well. This book ends on a sad note someone dies at the beginning and end of this book. This book is a very tiny book but it is a good book so the book is a good quick read and it is right down to the point and has a very good plot line to it. When Megan finds out the real truth of what happened to her brother it is very hard for her to take in. So she does what anyone would do she brushes it off like it was nothing and she goes into denial about what happened.
January 8, 2018
This book was a sad short story. Right from the start someone’s dead and then they end the book with someone being dead. Very sad. Megan tries her hardest to find out who killed her brother Danny. Yet through the entire book she can’t find a single clue. “He’s know to the police” later in the story that comes into understanding with the reader, doubting it was on purpose from the person who said it. There’s this character that should be deeply hated.
March 8, 2018
This book was an alright one, not the worst but not the best. It’s really not even a popular book so if you are going to do some research about you will have a difficult time. Scum was about a girl named Megan and she had a brother that got shot and killed in a robbery. She tried to find the person who kills him because she doesn’t find the kill her brother is to “the policy now”. This is very short so if you hate reading you should get this book and give it a try.
May 30, 2018
Danny gets murdered at a bar in cold blood. The bar is filled with people at the time the murder took place. However, when Danny’s parents try to find the killer... Everybody at the bar claims they haven’t seen anything... Everybody well except a kid named Titch. When Danny’s family are finally going to get some answers out of the Titch, he is too killed in cold blood a block away from the bar.
October 21, 2025
I would give this book a 4/5 stars. This book is about a family who lost their son because he got shot in a bar at 3 AM. The author does a very good job on telling the story and entering the plot at a good time. Danny the son was shot in a bar and later on his case with the FBI had no evidence on who shot him. The family decides to dive in and find evidence this leads to a certain event. If you like books that are entertaining then I would recommend this book.
April 24, 2026
I hated the main character so much. She was selfish and did not appear to care about anyone but herself.
Still. I found myself completely engrossed and I hoped the book was longer.
The author writes well.
Still. I found myself completely engrossed and I hoped the book was longer.
The author writes well.
February 28, 2022
Meh, it was a good short story but nothing memorable.
March 6, 2017
This book Scum is about this girl Megan and how she faces all these problems trying to figure out how her brother was killed at a bar. she tries everything in her will to figure out who killed her brother. she essentially starts her own investigation after cops tell her that they cant find out who killed her brother.
The whole time shes doing this searching and investigating all by herself. she does meet a kid named Titch at the bar her brother was killed. Titch is around her age so she questions him questions looking for some answers. he tells Megan that he didn't see anything. Megan thinks that hes lying and wont tell her anything because Titch is scared of his boss.
I would say that in this book there is no protagonist because Megan doe all the investigating alone. she does get showed the location of the bar by her father. but she returns to do her investigating on her own.
The biggest antagonist in this book would easily be the owner of the bar. i say hes the antagonist because he would kick out Megan every time she would be around the bar or around Titch. he would yell at her to not come back again and he would also yell at Titch because he told him to stop talking to her
The resolution of this book is a little disappointing. i say its disappointing because the police or Megan could not figure who was the man responsible for the death of her brother. and also how Titch was killed.
Overall i would rate this novel a four out five stars because it keeps you in suspense and is a nice quick book to read. i would the moral of the story is that its okay not to be okay.
The whole time shes doing this searching and investigating all by herself. she does meet a kid named Titch at the bar her brother was killed. Titch is around her age so she questions him questions looking for some answers. he tells Megan that he didn't see anything. Megan thinks that hes lying and wont tell her anything because Titch is scared of his boss.
I would say that in this book there is no protagonist because Megan doe all the investigating alone. she does get showed the location of the bar by her father. but she returns to do her investigating on her own.
The biggest antagonist in this book would easily be the owner of the bar. i say hes the antagonist because he would kick out Megan every time she would be around the bar or around Titch. he would yell at her to not come back again and he would also yell at Titch because he told him to stop talking to her
The resolution of this book is a little disappointing. i say its disappointing because the police or Megan could not figure who was the man responsible for the death of her brother. and also how Titch was killed.
Overall i would rate this novel a four out five stars because it keeps you in suspense and is a nice quick book to read. i would the moral of the story is that its okay not to be okay.
December 3, 2012
Scum by James C. Dekker is very exhilarating and fascinating even though it is a very brief novel. I recommend this book to people like myself who don’t like to read at all or don’t like to read a very long book. It is also great for doing a school assignment or just to read for fun.
The novel is about a teenage girl named Megan who found out one morning that her brother had been shot and killed at a bar. The police had started a investigation on who the murderer was that killed the brother. A few nights later, Megan and her dad decided to go to the bar where the brother got shot to do some investigation of their own. Just when they are about to leave, Megan saw a boy named Titch who she thinks has some information on who killed her brother which later on meets up with Megan. A few weeks later, the police had pushed aside the investigation making Megan find Titch on her own as she discovers something interesting about Titch and what have happened to his childhood.
I found the ending of the book very disappointing because the ending doesn’t reveal who the murderer was or how Megan and her family got over Danny’s death. The ending left me with a lot of questions as to what will happen after. What I think James C. Dekker should have done instead was tell the reader who the murderer was and explain why he/she killed Danny.
But I think the message James C. Dekker is trying to tell us is that we, as kids should respect and love our family because one day they are going to die. Other than that, I really loved this book. I would give it a rating of 4/5.
The novel is about a teenage girl named Megan who found out one morning that her brother had been shot and killed at a bar. The police had started a investigation on who the murderer was that killed the brother. A few nights later, Megan and her dad decided to go to the bar where the brother got shot to do some investigation of their own. Just when they are about to leave, Megan saw a boy named Titch who she thinks has some information on who killed her brother which later on meets up with Megan. A few weeks later, the police had pushed aside the investigation making Megan find Titch on her own as she discovers something interesting about Titch and what have happened to his childhood.
I found the ending of the book very disappointing because the ending doesn’t reveal who the murderer was or how Megan and her family got over Danny’s death. The ending left me with a lot of questions as to what will happen after. What I think James C. Dekker should have done instead was tell the reader who the murderer was and explain why he/she killed Danny.
But I think the message James C. Dekker is trying to tell us is that we, as kids should respect and love our family because one day they are going to die. Other than that, I really loved this book. I would give it a rating of 4/5.
December 30, 2008
Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com
SCUM is a brief novel that packs a punch.
Danny's violent death in a bar in the early hours one morning changes everything for his family and even touches the life of an innocent bystander.
It is everything a family fears when police detectives arrive at Megan's doorstep to bring the news of her brother's death. They tell Megan and her parents that he was shot in a bar and the shooting is under investigation.
Megan can't imagine that something like this could happen to her brother, although when she overhears a comment by the police stating that Danny had been "known to the police," she wonders if she really knew her brother. As the weeks pass there are no leads and the case is pushed aside, although the detective in charge of the case assures Megan's father they are still actively seeking information.
This lack of enthusiasm from the authorities causes Megan and her father to do some investigating of their own. It doesn't reveal anything new, but Megan does meet Titch, a young employee at the bar, and she hopes he might have some needed evidence.
Author James C. Dekker paints a painful picture of how death can tear apart those left behind. The survivors want to find answers, but they must also face their own grief and find a way to continue. Many often deal with the tragedy in different ways and at a different pace, only compounding the issues all must face.
SCUM is a brief novel that packs a punch.
Danny's violent death in a bar in the early hours one morning changes everything for his family and even touches the life of an innocent bystander.
It is everything a family fears when police detectives arrive at Megan's doorstep to bring the news of her brother's death. They tell Megan and her parents that he was shot in a bar and the shooting is under investigation.
Megan can't imagine that something like this could happen to her brother, although when she overhears a comment by the police stating that Danny had been "known to the police," she wonders if she really knew her brother. As the weeks pass there are no leads and the case is pushed aside, although the detective in charge of the case assures Megan's father they are still actively seeking information.
This lack of enthusiasm from the authorities causes Megan and her father to do some investigating of their own. It doesn't reveal anything new, but Megan does meet Titch, a young employee at the bar, and she hopes he might have some needed evidence.
Author James C. Dekker paints a painful picture of how death can tear apart those left behind. The survivors want to find answers, but they must also face their own grief and find a way to continue. Many often deal with the tragedy in different ways and at a different pace, only compounding the issues all must face.
December 1, 2012
Megan's brother got shot in the head on night in a bar. Apparently there were people a lot of people but no one saw anything. After a few weeks the police still hasn't gotten anything. Megan soon finds out her brother, Danny, was "known to the police" and isn't in to much of a hurry to find out who killed her brother. But as her family soon start to drift apart she soon decides that she needs to go and find out who killed her brother by herself. While she was there she meet a boy name Titch. He worked at the bar and claims he wasn't their that night when Megan's brother was shot dead, but she knows better.
I picked up this book because I am a slow reader and I tried reading Shade but that book was to long and I couldn't read it in a month so I asked Mr.Gould for a short book and he gave me a variety of books, so I read the back of the books and "Scum" sounded interesting and it made you wonder why was Danny known to the police.
I finished this book because I wanted to know who killed Danny, because no one supposedly saw anything.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery and suspense, because you have to wait till the middle to find out why Danny was "known to the police", and also mystery because you don't know who killed Danny.
I picked up this book because I am a slow reader and I tried reading Shade but that book was to long and I couldn't read it in a month so I asked Mr.Gould for a short book and he gave me a variety of books, so I read the back of the books and "Scum" sounded interesting and it made you wonder why was Danny known to the police.
I finished this book because I wanted to know who killed Danny, because no one supposedly saw anything.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery and suspense, because you have to wait till the middle to find out why Danny was "known to the police", and also mystery because you don't know who killed Danny.
January 13, 2013
The title of the book is Scum, the author is James C. Dekker. The main characters are Megan, Danny, Mrs. carter and Mr. Carter. This novel cant be compared to another novel: but what I can compare this novel to, is to real world. You wonder why, don't you? Through out the book Megan and her family have to go through a big challenge. Two police men are standing in front of her door way asking question where is Danny. They are confused and don't know anything, because Danny had moved out. Mom starts to get suspicious and starts to cry. Asked where is her son? They say sorry there has been a shooting: we think its Danny who was been shot we need you to come down town with us to check the body. There life changes from one minuter to the other: her big brother gets killed. Megan and her dad go to the bar where Danny got shot. They had problems getting in. They entered the bar: Megan's dad started to ask questions, if they knew anything, but everyone would say they weren't here or they didn't see anything. I honestly believe that I would go crazy if two police men came to my house saying your breather is dead.
January 9, 2017
In this realistic fiction book, Megan the main character is faced with many challenges. When her brother is killed in a bar she doesn't know how to react. Her feelings are bottled up inside of her and come out with anger. The biggest problem Megan faces is how to correctly display her feelings to the world around her. The message I took away from this story is that it's ok not to be ok, but you have to keep moving in life to get better.
October 4, 2009
"Scum" is a quick look into a family's loss, and the discoveries you can make about a person after they are gone.
I love the Orca soundings series. They are ideal for teens who are perhaps struggling with their reading. They would also be great for ESL students. They manage to weave a great yarn without being too intimidating.
I love the Orca soundings series. They are ideal for teens who are perhaps struggling with their reading. They would also be great for ESL students. They manage to weave a great yarn without being too intimidating.
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January 16, 2016When Meagan's brother is murdered her parents have a very difficult time dealing with the fact that the police have no leads on the case. Does the fact that he was "known to police" means it's okay to give up on finding his killer?
September 29, 2010
This book is interesting its about a boy that got shot and his parents wants to discover who shot him.
October 18, 2010
I am in Chapter 4 page 23 and i just started this book its so far so good and i just herd that a kid name Danny is dead!
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September 12, 2012It was a really good book and I enjoyed reading it.
August 9, 2013
I am not a big YA reader, but the summary intrigued me. The book ended up being okay. Not sure what the point or the message of the story was, really- especially the ending.
September 30, 2016
It was a good book with a strong theme. I would recommend this book. She doesn't find the killer.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 30, 2016
This book is very good, some what confusing you really have to pay attention and make connections.
September 30, 2016
It's a good book with a good background. The family needs to learn how to get over a tragedy, and need to help each other through it. They need each other for love and support.
September 30, 2016
It's a short, good book. That keeps you in suspense and is very interesting. It has a very strong theme, and describes events well. I would recommend this book.
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January 27, 2017Scum is definitely what this book is.
Actually.. I'm not for sure that's fair. I think that if it were to be a lot longer of a book, I would care. Just not enough time to develop anything.
Actually.. I'm not for sure that's fair. I think that if it were to be a lot longer of a book, I would care. Just not enough time to develop anything.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews