The Scar Boys

by Len Vlahos

Overview

A severely burned teenager. A guitar. Punk rock. The chords of a rock 'n' roll road trip in a coming-of-age novel that is a must-read story about finding your place in the world . . . even if you carry scars inside and out.

In attempting to describe himself in his college application essay—to "help us to become acquainted with you beyond your courses, grades, and test scores"—Harbinger (Harry) Jones goes way beyond the 250-word limit and gives a full account of his life. The first defining moment: the day the neighborhood goons tied him to a tree during a lightning storm when he was 8 years old, and the tree was struck and caught fire. Harry was badly burned and has had to live with the physical and emotional scars, reactions from strangers, bullying, and loneliness that instantly became his everyday reality. The second defining moment: the day in eighth grade when the handsome, charismatic Johnny rescued him from the bullies and then made the startling suggestion that they start a band together. Harry discovered that playing music transported him out of his nightmare of a world, and he finally had something that compelled people to look beyond his physical appearance. Harry's description of his life in his essay is both humorous and heart-wrenching. He had a steeper road to climb than the average kid, but he ends up learning something about personal power, friendship, first love, and how to fit in the world. While he's looking back at the moments that have shaped his life, most of this story takes place while Harry is in high school and the summer after he graduates.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781606845660
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	04/07/2015
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	881,720
Product dimensions:	7.90(w) x 5.10(h) x 0.70(d)
Lexile:	910L (what's this?)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Len Vlahos has held leadership positions with the American Booksellers Association and Book Industry Study Group (BISG) and co-owns The Tattered Cover bookstore in Denver, CO. His novel The Scar Boys was a finalist for the William C. Morris YA Debut Award.

Editorial Reviews

"Vlahos's narrative flows easily and rings true....Distinguished in every way." —starred, School Library Journal

From the Publisher

…[a] wry, stylish tale…all four Scar Boys are well-etched original characters.

The New York Times Book Review - Peter Behrens

11/04/2013
Publishing exec Vlahos debuts with a coming-of-age/rock-and-roll novel mashup written in the form of a college admissions essay (one that blows past the 250-word limit). Left physically and psychologically scarred by a childhood accident involving bullies and lightning, Harbinger “Harry” Jones is ignored or considered a “freak” at school. In middle school, he’s befriended by a kid named Johnny, and in high school they start a band. When they take the show on the road, life becomes immeasurably more entertaining, especially with crushworthy Cheyenne on board as the Scar Boys’ bassist. Injuries aside, Harry’s trajectory loosely mirrors Vlahos’s time as the guitarist for a touring punk/pop band, so details like how to cut a record, land a gig at the now-defunct club CBGB (the novel is set in the 1970s and ’80s), or rework a tour when the van breaks down strongly resonate. This, along with the author’s clear passion for music, balances out a few clunky structural elements, such as flashbacks within the already retrospective narration, as Harry learns to open up to himself and others. Ages 14–up. Agent: Sandra Bond, Bond Literary Agency. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

★ 01/01/2014
Gr 8 Up—Harry Jones opens his story by submitting a 250-word essay to a college admissions board-only he goes a book length over the limit. In so doing he recounts his traumatic past: the terrifying scene in which neighborhood bullies tied him to a tree and left him as a storm rolled in…and how the tree was struck by lightning, leaving him with disfiguring burn scars all over his face. He then describes his physical and mental recovery: how he formed a band that toured all over the country…and even kissed a girl. Set in the early 1980s, Vlahos's narrative flows easily and rings true. If Brent Runyon's The Burn Journals (Knopf, 2004) and Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Pocket Books, 1999) could be melded into a single work, it might be this one. Distinguished in every way.—Leah Krippner, Harlem High School, Machesney Park, IL

School Library Journal

Harry is ugly, shy, and covered with hideous burn scars. Befriended by the charismatic Johnny, he finds his way back to life through participation in a band. Narrating this story about the power of music and friendship to heal, Lincoln Hoppe strikes just the right note with the character of Harry—offbeat, a touch sarcastic, a little wistful—as Harry describes the teen friendships and tensions that arise around the band, The Scar Boys. Hoppe’s perfect pacing moves the story along while allowing Vlahos’s details to unfold in the listener’s mind. Saturated with musical references, this audiobook has chapter titles that are song titles. The author even plays the guitar music that introduces the production and provides the accompaniment when Hoppe sings one of Vlahos’s original songs. J.C.G. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2014 - AudioFile

2013-10-20
Harry is used to making people squirm. When others see his badly scarred face, there is an inevitable reaction that ranges from forced kindness to primal cruelty. In this first-person tale written as an extended college entrance essay, Harry has no intention of sparing readers from this discomfort. He recounts the trauma of his young life spent recuperating from the act of childhood bullying that left him a burn victim. In middle school, he meets Johnny McKenna, the first person to seem to offer him genuine friendship. Over the years, Harry finds strength by Johnny's side, following along with his decisions, from the arbitrary to the life-changing, and together, they form a punk-rock band called the Scar Boys. With the band on tour as high school ends, the true dynamic of their friendship, Johnny's less-than-altruistic need for Harry, and Harry's ownership of himself in all his disfigured glory begin to emerge. This leads up to a heartbreaking tragedy that bonds the two boys in understanding. Though the use of the college essay to present the story may seem trite, the unflinching honesty of the narrative and subtle development of the compelling characters make up for the use of this device. Etches its way onto the heart and leaves a mark. (Fiction. 14 & up)

Kirkus Reviews