Name: This Is Not a Drill
ISBN: 9780399257940

Beck McDowell

Rebecca McDowell

Two teens must work together to protect a class of first-graders when a soldier with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder takes them hostage.

This Is Not a Drill

jess

i feel like the themes were good, and the story could have been good, but unfortunately the frequent cuts to the romance subplot really took so much away from the story.

Reyna Wren

** spoiler alert **
           This book was pretty good... It's the kind of book that some people could love, but I just don't think I'm that kind of person.
I liked the alternating viewpoints. It helped to keep the novel from getting stale, in such a tense situation. With being able to see both characters plans and thoughts about how to get out and save the children, the novel moved along with some added interest. It would have been nice to have a point of view from someone who was outside of what was happening in the school. The characters talked to the outside, some, but the novel never really showed anyone who wasn't in the room at the time. Emery saw her mom for a split second at the end, but the meeting was never really described, just added to give Emery some information she needed. It was really and opportunity lost, where the author could have showed the complicated and layered relationship between them in more detail. Other than that, Jake's dad and step mother are shown for a moment too, but again, their characters and relationships could have been expanded a lot.

Both Jake and Emery have a tendency to ramble on about the past, and unimportant things. They spend a good half of the novel reminiscing about their past relationship, while they practically have a gun pointed to their heads. They never really talk about their friends or family much, which I would think to be something that would be on their mind more. They tell you they are scared, and they shake a bit, but they have to be strong for the kids, and you never really see their internal fear much. They really shied away from thinking about the concept of death at all, which is strange in a book specifically about the threat of death. It could have been a character trait of one, who just couldn't deal with the concept of death, but even when they think about other characters who have died, they never really make the connection that 'this could happen to me as well,' and never really think in an in depth way at all about the whole ordeal. Side note, it frustrated me to no end out little we were told about Jake's mother. She had cancer, she died, she withdrew before she died, that was it. We never really see much of his pain, struggles, or love for her. And Cole's father is mentioned as being abusive, so why didn't Jake do anything about that? His father is the mayor, he could easily have the cops on this guy, and keep Cole a safe distance from him, while still allowing him and his father to interact. I mean, I don't know, maybe in his situation going into foster care would have been worse, because he had siblings to protect and didn't want to be separated, or maybe something to do with his mother, or that he just felt that he didn't want to lose his father in that way, but why was that never explored?! Jake basically says to us "Oh yeah, btw Cole gets abused," and we're supposed to be like, "okay, cool. You never have to mention this in the novel again." What?? And also, I understand that Jake is loyal, or whatever, but taking the fall for someone else's drugs is not okay. Especially if that person is not even a good enough friend to tell the cops that they aren't yours. That will be on your police record forever, and effect the rest of your life! I understand that maybe Cole didn't say because of his father, but if it was that bad, why didn't Jake and his father try to help Cole?

Jake and Emery's musings on their relationship frustrated me to no end, because really, firstly how could thinking about that help them right now? And secondly, it really took me out of the story, and all I wanted was to return to the classroom. Mr. Stutts' monologues were a bit easier to bear, since he was actually saying them out loud, and they really helped humanize him and develop his character. However, listening to Jake look up hamsters on Wikipedia, and Emery talk about how he saved her from being shy and awkward, but was actually a jerk was exhausting and boring.

This Is Not a Drill

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