Skarrs

by Catherine Forde

Danny-Boy shaves his head for Grampa Dan’s funeral and the barber tells him he looks like a prisoner of war. Danny-Boy doesn’t care—he’s on a downward spiral. Drinking, cutting school, obsessed with the sick, violent lyrics of his favorite band, Skarrs. Danny would like to clean up his act and get together with the gorgeous Ali, but he can’t escape Jakey’s gang, even when the police come asking questions. While running from Jakey’s revenge, Danny at last hears the truth: Grampa Dan—always hearing Skarrs’ lyrics about concentration camps pounding through the wall from Danny’s bedroom—had himself been a prisoner of war in a Japanese camp. When Danny finds out the truth about Grampa Dan, he has one last chance to put things right.

Genres: Young Adult

320 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2004

About the author

Catherine Forde is the author of numerous books, including Fat Boy Swim, which won the Grampian Children’s Book Award and was short-listed for the Blue Peter Award; Firestarter; and Skarrs, which was long-listed for the Carnegie Medal.

Reviews

[Moira McPartlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first started this I hated it. I hated the voice and character of Danny the protagonist, but I stuck with it and realised I wasn't meant to like him. Danny goes off the rails when he gets in with the wrong crowd and like many impressionable teens he cant get out of the situation even if he wanted to. When the story of his grandfather's experiences as a prisoner of war and interwoven with Danny's predicament, the story becomes more interesting and thankfully doesn't turn around into a convenient happy ending.

[Krishnaa Lakshmanan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this book thinking, "Oh my, why did I have to get this book from the second hand book store? I could've bought something better." But in truth, it was a really good book. Totally different from what I expected, and I mean it as a compliment.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick and fairly easy read. Not to say it was really 'light', at first I thought it might be but it developed some more substantial ideas and was quite touching and disturbing in places.

[tbd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book:)

[Johnny Andrews · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those books that should be read in education, like the Catcher in the Rye. Similar foundation, here in the heart of Scotland we have a 15 year old Danny who walks with a bad crowd and listens to angry, racist, sexist music from the fictional titular band Skarrs.
Starting post funeral of his grandfather a POW of a Japanese camp we follow a very unlikable teenager as he squanders chances by being a sheep with local hard-case, Jakey and his drones, getting drunk, skipping school and in the others, taking drugs.
All of this is mixed with snippets of dialogue from his Grandfather talking about his time in the Japanese POW camp and the horrors he saw and went through, he is talking to one of Danny's old school friends, from a time before the fall from grace, Richard; who is doing a project for school on Danny's Grandfather.
Danny's world crumbles around him from bad choice to bad choice but is it the end?

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing like the blurb suggests at all, at first I was bit sceptical but as the book when on I don't think I've felt so emotionally moved in such a long time - I just wanted things to go better for Danny and the ending was really beautifully. Such an interesting take on family and coping with grief.