The Gun

Introduction

The Gun, by Paul Langan, is the sequel to his first book, The Bully.  This is the second book in the series. The story picks up just after Darrell breaks Tyray’s hand. Tyray was originally the biggest bully in the school. He would beat up kids for money because his family had little of their own. This story is about a boy who finds himself in a lot of trouble: his friends are making fun of him, his dad is going crazy, the teachers are on his case, it’s a mess for Tyray.

Summary

This story is about a kid named Tyray who is trying to get his reputation back. This story takes place in a rough city in California sometime in the 1990s. The book begins when Tyray is sent to the principal with a broken hand, and the principal threatens to expel Tyray if he causes any more problems. Darrell Mercer had broken Tyray’s hand in a fight earlier, which caused Tyray to lose his reputation as somebody who doesn’t back out, and people think he’s a total loser. Tyray decides to change things by getting a gun to shoot Darrell. I found this interesting because the gun does not change anything, it just makes Tyray feel a lot worse about himself.

Analysis/Review

I liked Paul Langan’s first book in this series, The Bully, better than The Gun, because it showed the perspectives of Darrell and Tyray with more feeling. It was harder to understand Darrell’s motivations in The Gun, because the book didn’t often describe his feelings. I like this series because I can relate to being made fun of. I was always picked on because I was short and never outgoing. In the story I found it surprising that Tyray actually followed up on his plan to get the gun and finally shoot Darrell. 

Book Review by John P.