Impact

by James C. Dekker

Jordan's brother was killed two years ago in what appeared to be a random act. Now, as the family reads their impact statements in court before the suspect is sentenced, a different story emerges. Maybe this was not a random act. Maybe Jordan knows more than he is saying. What was the impact of that violent act? And who set the wheels in motion?

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Teen

94 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2009

About the author

James C. Dekker lives in Toronto, Ontario, and, as far as he knows, is not known to police.

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was 12 at night. There was no one around, but there was because that is how Mark died. Mark was 17, he was commingh ome from a late night at his job. Out of the blue, some one had attacked him, and killed him. Some say it was murder, and some say it was homicide.
I can make a text to text connection, in Jenny Green's Jumior Killer Year, Jenny Green kills at least 4 boys who she went out with. No one knows it was her, and there was no trial. Everyone on campus said that the boys who died were either homicide, ir Sucide. No one ever suspected Jenny.
I gave this book 4 stars. This book was good. Not the best but it was ok. One reason I didn't like the book was that pretty much the whole book, they are trying to find out who really killed Mark. Every chapter they are in the court room asking Tony and his friends what happened. I would reccomend this book to anyone who likes to read adventures. But not to everyone, i in particutlar didn't like this book. It seemed good from the blurb but then as I read it, it becam pointless and stupid to me

[Noonruaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

What would you do if you saw teenagers kicking and beating a young man? Would you help or walk away? This story about a young man got killed by his friends because he was cue and girls liked him. Girls always hang out with him and leave their boy friends. Thats why they killed him. They want girls to hang out with them, not just with Mark. This is how Mark died. He was working at the restaurant. He called his mother before leaving the restaurant. He told her that he's comming home. That day his mom was so worried about him. Mark hung the phone up and left the restaurant. Hid friends were waiting outside getting ready to kill him. After mark left the restaurant, he saw his friends holding sticks and pipes. After that, the police found Mark dead near the restaurant that he was working at. Two month later, the police found that all of Mark's friend killed him. Some of them were fudged to five years and some of them judged for ten years. They were supposed to go to jail for ever. But the police said they're young boys and didn't know what they were doing. The reason why I picked this book is because it was really interesting and that when I read it my eyes never went away fro the book. I recommend this book to you and any body that would want to read it

[Joshua P · Rating 4 out of 5]

i think this book is a good book.the reason why i like this book is a good book because it was really interesting and that when i read it my eyes never went away from the book. i reconmend this book to you and any body that would want to read it.

[Austin Hulsing]

this book seemed to be a very good but mystery book do to the fact that it was solving a murder that had happened 2 years ago. I really liked this book because it has a great story behind the murder. I didnt think jordan would ever find out

[Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

So this was a pretty good read, but it was also very predictable. Although I was shocked at how Kyle got the information that eventually led to Mark's murder.

[Logan Bunch · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main characters in this book are Mark, Jordan, and their parents. The story starts off with Mark not returning from a late night shift at his job. This worried Mark’s parents and his brother Jordan. The story soon picks up with discovery of Mark’s dead body. After this, the entire story is about the trial and dealing with death. The remaining main characters all dealt with loss in other ways. The mother dealt with depressing. The dad became an alcoholic. Jordan became even more shy and blamed the world for his problems. In my opinion, this book was just alright. My favorite part of the book was the end. It did not go as I thought it would while reading. The story has some but not much suspense in finding out who killed Mark. If I could change anything, I would change the way the book started. It seemed as if I read 5 pages and someone already died. I would not recommend this book to any avid reader. If your on the good reads app, you probably enjoy reading. This book is good for people who don’t like or enjoy reading. The length is good because I could stay focused and finish it pretty quickly. Overall, I give it 3 stars.

[Mason Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was reading this book and it really caught my eye. In the book, the parents, Jordan, and Mark are the main characters. It starts off with Mark not returning from his late night shift. In this story, Jordan’s brother was killed from a “Random Act”. The boy that was killed is named Mark. It was crazy what happened when I was reading this story. There was nothing going on and everything was fine. All of a sudden someone attacked Mark and killed him. You have to read what actually happens throughout the story. I bet if you read this book report you are very confused. There are some people that say it was murder, and some think it could possibly be homicide. While, you’re reading this story you are going to come across a lot of drama. The story behind it is crazy because if you read this book report there is no way you would understand what it going to end up happening. I do not want to ruin this for anyone. Mrs. Honaker is the one that pointed this book out to me. I am glad because this is one of the few books I have actually enjoyed. I suggest this book to anyone. It will really catch your eye. Thank you for reading my book report!

[Julien Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book shows me that you have watch who you allow to be around you. In this book, a man named Mark gets murdered over a girl. At first, it seems like it was just a random act of violence or even a robbery gone bad. But after some evidence is found... A couple pieces of the puzzle start to come together. Mark has been set up by his neighbor, Kyle, and a group of his friends . After arresting all the murderers, Kyle goes unpunished while some of the other participants in this crazy novel get punished to multiple years in prison

[Manjusha Deshpande · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like all the books in this series, it involves a fast paced story. I liked the way the story was put forward with the father reading out his "Impact" statement and what his younger son actually feels or does that day or the events that led to those thoughts. What I did not like was the inability to build real characters with whom you empathize. That's sad considering the message " actions and consequences" is really an important one!

[Meer Mughal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. it was short and filled with a story that impacted me too. I just started reading books and until now this book is the only book that enjoyed reading and it wasn&t confusing at any point of the story.

[Connor Kraycik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought it was a very good book that was twisted with mystery and suspense throughout. I enjoyed it vigorously as I turned from page to page wondering what will happen next. It's a quick read that's good for people that don't love reading but love a mystery.

[Oscar · Rating 5 out of 5]

One more step by James c. Decker the main character is mark, is quiet, good person and funny the book take place California the most important message from this book is that people judge other people even they don’t know them I liked this book because it tell me a lot of thing

[Jayden Lambert · Rating 5 out of 5]

mark was Marks dad firstborn son he had a little brother but he died. but marks son that is still alive he was a hard worker and a good person. but that didn't stop someone from killing him....
I like the book because it's interesting.

[Riddhiman]

I pretty much liked the book. The book Impact was full of mystery, suspense, and thriller. I loved the overall storyline.

[Peg Witteveen]

intriguing tale!

[Kristian]

this book is a very sad book. mark is the oldert of 2. he was going out with this gilr who just broke up with a very agressive boy. one day makr was approached in school by this kid and he said that he did not want him to see his x girlfriend. but he still did. so one night he was working at fast food place and it was like 12 pm and he had to lock up the place and head home. he locked up and called his mom like usually did and he said he is going to go get a sandwitch and once he gets out hes gunna call his mom. he went to the place and got his food and ate it outside. then his friend came to him and was like oh my god you will not believe what we just found. so mark wanted to se so he followed him, but little did he know that he was being led into a death trap. he was led into the girls x boy friend. he started beating him up and stomping on his head until.... he was dead! then cops sirens filled the dark sky. they all ran except for makr dead on the floor. his mom got very worried so her and her husband hopped in the car and went to go look for him. they went into the parking lot where he was killed and they noticed that it was his son the mother and the father began to cry. they found all the kids that kolled him , they put them in court and each of them where sued and sent to jail because they where found guilty.
i can connect this book to my life because i had people die in my family and my aunt passed away in monetengro, she had a heart attack. and i had no clue, my dad just said where going to montenegro tomorrow. i didnt know why so i said ok. when i got there everyone that came to pick us up at the airoport was cring and i had no ideal why so i asked my cousins and he said in albanian that our aunt died, then i bursted into tears because whenever i go over there to her house in montenegro she treats me like her son she never lets me un fed, she would take me shopping even though i didnt want to. that day my dad felt bad for her hurband my uncle and he gave him ten thousand dolors because that is his brother, he gave that to him so he could support him self and his kids.
i give this book a because it brought back some memories and it made me think about all my relatives that have passed away. i reccomend this book to anyone.

[Kayla Rindler]

In this 103 page fictional novel you find the most mysterious events happening. Jordan's brother, mark, was 17 years old and started dating a new girl from his school. Her name was Shannon. Shannon had a boyfriend before Mark but then broke up weeks later because he would never show the respect. Shannon's ex-boyfriend,Tony, found out about Mark and became very jealous. Mark works at a fast food restaurant and had to work until closing time. Well once Mark closed the doors from his job he ran into a couple of boys who were covered in all black in the darkness. The next morning Mark was found dead. The people could not decide if it was a homicide or murder. The family was heart-broken. The day they had to show up to the court showed four men as suspects from committing the crime. Unfortunately they found one of those men to be his neighbor. Also one of Mark's best friend. The other two were from Tony´s school. The one who had the idea and did the worst was Tony. The amount of time sentenced in jail for them was the amount of destruction they had put into this crime.




The mood in the story really wanted me to keep reading on with all the drama and what was occurring after the night Mark was murdered. The book showed great tension throughout the book. From all the dialogue put into the book and what is said from other people makes you want to read on. You would always think of a new story from the point of who committed the crime. You may also be very surprised who all ended up being the victims. The whole book overall was a suspenseful book. The events in the book would make you only imagine what you think it really looks like. I would like to recommend this book to teenagers that like very suspenseful books. For just a short book it gives great details for what is going to happen. Also makes you want to change your mind about who did what suspense happens next.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

IMPACT is the story of a family facing the violent death of their oldest son. Told from the point of view of younger son Jordan, the story reveals his guilt about the death of his older brother and the impact the event has on the young man's parents.

Basically, the guilty parties have been apprehended and arrested, and now it's time for the trial. Reliving the beating death of their son and brother is a horrific challenge. They want justice but they never imagined how slowly and painfully the wheels of justice would turn. Despite the identification of suspects, the gathering of evidence, the interviewing of witnesses, and preparing for trial, this family attempts to return to a normal life.

Readers will sense the frustration of the characters as they listen to testimonies and hear the attorneys twist and turn statements to suit their individual clients. All the while they will observe as Jordan and his parents remember the events leading up to the tragic night Mark was clubbed, beaten, and kicked to death.

James C. Dekker tells this moving account of a family's suffering that is all too frequently reported on evening news broadcasts. Using a simple, straightforward style and words spoken from the heart of the family members, Dekker paints a picture that will move even the most jaded reader.

In our violent world, this story is painfully familiar and one we wouldn't wish on our worst enemy.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is interesting. It makes you feel gloomy. I was full of excitements.' This book include character's dialogues, actions, and feeling. What makes this book so interesting is that all the characters had their own feelings about the problems that they are facing. The story went on like this: Jordan's (the main character) had been beaten to death. And as Jordan’s dad speaks to the court about his son who was murdered, Jordan recalls the events that led to his older brother, Mark’s, death. Jordan had seen a girl, Shannon, at school and wanted to ask her out. When he talked to Mark about asking a girl out, Mark encouraged him. when he saw his older brother Mark, arm in arm with Shannon,he is mad. Shannon’s boyfriend, Tony was jealous and wanted to get Mark to stay away from her. Jordan knew it was to gain information for Tony. Jordan told him where Mark worked. Jordan thought that Tony was the one who killed Mark because he was so jealous with Mark. This book gives you an example of how a character would solve the problems that they are facing.

[Marcus · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book impact is about a innconce boy that get killed for stealing tony's girlfriend. Tony and his friend beat up with steel toe boots, pipes, and they kick him in the head. So Mmark family goes on trail. Mark is the one who got killed. Tony and his friend are on trial too. Shannon the girl mark was dating is also on trial. Mark was a great student he played sports, he got all the girls, he was a straight A student.

Mark family is in a depression. Jordan mark's younger brother failed every class in school. Mark's parent lose thier jobs. Tony and his family move across the united states. Kyle's family moves to arizona after what happened with mark. Tony and Joey get 6 years in Jail. They move on now that mark is dead. "Mark was my Firstborn son, now he is dead"

[Ena Kanai · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't really read this kind of homicide books but this book, was, GREAT.
I liked where Jordan always reflected on what he had done wrong and good. That is a very important thing to do because when you don't reflect on your self, you'll always repeat and do the same mistake again.
In this book, Jordan wasn't the one who killed Mark but he reflected on what he did because he couldn't do the things he wanted to do for Mark and he had lied to him before he died. If I was Jordan, I would be really frustrated with my self because Mark had died before I even apologized to him that I lied and told him the truth.

[Erin Reilly-Sanders · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a really short book, this actually has a little bit of an interesting story in it, although the size requires that the character development is pretty limited. Instead, it reads more like a a short story or novella with a twist at the end that doesn't seem quite built up to enough, partially because we don't know the characters too well. There is a little bit of meat that would be worth discussing but somehow Impact still left me feeling a little unsatisfied.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read in the Orca Soundings series for young adults. It's a high interest, low reading level series from Canada. I liked this story, told from the point of view of a teen whose brother was murdered, and did not expect the little twist at the end. I'll have to read more in this series, which I hope will be as good as this one was.

[Ella Johsnon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just read a book called "impact" and I thought it was really good because it's a mystery, and once you start reading it, you wont want to stop! It's about this boy named Jordan's brother Mark who got killed. But they still don't know if it was an accident or not. Read this book to find out what happened to Mark! if you like mystery stories I certainly think you should read this book!

[Kenneth taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was book ok

[Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent hi/lo book for kids interested in personal drama and life and death situations. There's a twist at the end.

[Dannielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little less corny than some of the other Orca books, the plot is engaging and I would definitely recommend for my reluctant readers

[Brionnalynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was a sad book.. but it was great!! i enjoyed reading it :)

[Doris Aning · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. Tells you listen

[Ireland Farquhar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing short story with lots of details. Can't wait to read the others by James C Dekker.