A Realistic Read To Make You Think

That's Not What Happened

by Kody Keplinger

Hardcover, 329 pages

Published August 28th 2018 by Scholastic Press

 ISBN: 9781338186529

Library/ Met at Andersons’s YA Literature Conference 2018

About:

It's been three years since the Virgil County High School Massacre. Three years since my best friend, Sarah, was killed in a bathroom stall during the mass shooting. Everyone knows Sarah's story--that she died proclaiming her faith. 

But it's not true. 

I know because I was with her when she died. I didn't say anything then, and people got hurt because of it. Now Sarah's parents are publishing a book about her, so this might be my last chance to set the record straight . . . but I'm not the only survivor with a story to tell about what did--and didn't--happen that day. 

Except Sarah's martyrdom is important to a lot of people, people who don't take kindly to what I'm trying to do. And the more I learn, the less certain I am about what's right. I don't know what will be worse: the guilt of staying silent or the consequences of speaking up . . . (Goodreads)

Rating: 4 Stars

Review:

This wasn’t you average school shooting book. While there were flashbacks to the actual shooting, the majority of the book happened three years later and deals with what the surviving victims are going through. There were misconceptions that occurred during the initial investigation, mostly dealing with a cross that was found in the bathroom and who it belonged to and what was said by the person wearing it. The media picked up on one person’s view and it spread like wildfire until it became the truth and anyone saying otherwise became a target. Kody does a wonderful job of showing just how far people will go to protect their beliefs and how far others will go to get the truth out.

I enjoyed that this was a different take on school shootings. The writing was well done and realistic. It lost a star from me because there was just something about the characters that I didn’t care for. I’m not sure what it was, but they just kind of bugged me. I did like that the book focused on the survivors and the victims though, and not the shooter. The shooters name is never mentioned and either are their motives. I liked that the victims came from all sorts of backgrounds and it shed a light on them in a way that showed that no one is perfect.

Overall, I’d say this was a decent read. I’d recommend it to older teens looking for a book on the subject matter. Some scenes could possibly be a bit intense for younger readers and due to content some scenes could be a trigger for some people who have PTSD, depression, anxiety, drug or alcohol abuse, were involved in gun violence and possibly other things.

On a side note, I had the pleasure of hearing Kody Keplinger speak earlier this month at the Anderson’s YA Literature Conference. She seems like an awesome person with a lot of personality. She’s also a geek like me, so respect to that. She talked a lot about how telling stories helped her figure out what she cares for and who she is. She also talked about how she puts a little bit of herself and her experiences into all of her stories. I’ve read a couple of her other books and they’ve all been pretty good so far. If you’re looking for a new author’s work to explore, she might be one you’ll want to check out for realistic fiction.