Product Description

When he was nine, Kip set another child on fire. Now, after years in a juvenile ward, he is ready for a fresh start. But the ghosts of his past soon demand justice, and he must reveal his painful secret. How can Kip tell anyone that he really is--or was--a murderer?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #289863 in Books
• Published on: 2008-11-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780316166379
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From School Library Journal
Grade 8 Up—After setting his seven-year-old neighbor in Alaska on fire, Kip McFarland spends four years in a facility for violent juvenile offenders. When he is released at the age of 14, he, his father, and his new stepmother move to Indiana, with new names. For a while, Wade enjoys a normal life. Eventually, however, despite the warnings of his therapist, he sabotages his happiness in a drunken fit of rage. After he reveals his identity, the town turns on him and his family. Now, a coastal Texas town is their final shot at starting over. The cozy community appears to be a perfect haven, but Wade feels compelled to reveal his past to Sam, the beautiful and mysterious neighbor who is winning his heart—and has a story of her own. Will she still accept him once she finds out he is a murderer? This quick read has a compelling story line, but the characters, especially the adults, are at times one-dimensional, with voices that are somewhat indistinguishable from one another. Reluctant readers will be drawn to the story's accessibility, and many teens will be pulled in by the larger questions the novel poses about innocence and acceptance. Despite its flaws, this book will be a hit with Giles's fans.—Lynn Rashid, Marriots Ridge High School, Marriotsville, MD
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
Praise for Right Behind You:

"Riveting...Explodes with compassion." (Publishers Weekly )

"Fans will come away with a greater understanding of redemption and forgiveness." (Booklist )

"Thought-provoking and heart-wrenching." (Kirkus )

"Compelling...will be a hit." (School Library Journal )

"Will suck readers right in." (Bulletin of Center of Children's Books )

A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best 2007 Selection

* "Crisply written." (KLIATT (starred review) )

About the Author
Gail Giles is the acclaimed author of several psychological drama/suspense novels for teens, including WHAT HAPPENED TO CASS MCBRIDE?, SHATTERING GLASS, DEAD GIRLS DON'T WRITE LETTERS, and PLAYING IN TRAFFIC. SHATTERING GLASS was an ALA "Best of the Best" Book (one of the best 100 books for young readers of the decade), an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, an ALA Quick Pick for Young Readers, a Booklist Top Ten Mystery for Youth, and received starred reviews in Booklist and Kirkus. Her most recent novel, WHAT HAPPENED TO CASS MCBRIDE? received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, VOYA and KLIATT and received several citations (see quotes and reviews).

Customer Reviews

Outstanding book
Reviewed by Michaila Hamilton (age 17) for Reader Views (12/07)

"Right Behind You" starts off with the murder of a young boy in Alaska. Kip McFarland sets his friend on fire over a silly birthday gift: a baseball glove. The boy dies an agonizing three days later and Kip is sent to a psychiatric institution for the criminally insane. He undergoes years of therapy and is released. When he is released, all of his family has to change their names because of vigilante justice. People have burned the family's home, chased his dad out of town, and deliver horrible threats. When Kip is released from the hospital the family moves to a small town in Indiana. Soon, Kip (now called Wade) makes friends. He does great in school, has a girlfriend, and is a star swimmer on the swim team. It all comes crashing down though, when Wade spills his secret at a campfire one night.

Once again the whole family is targeted with threats. The swim team refused to swim with a child murderer, his stepmom is fired from her teaching job, and his dad is forced to leave his job. The family moves again, this time to a beach in Texas. Wade decides not to go to public school. He stays home and keeps to himself in the hopes of not hurting his family again. But, there is a girl next door with her own set of secrets. Over time, she teaches him to sail and to trust. She also learns to trust him. After she confides in him about her past, he decides that he must tell her. With the support of his family and therapist, he writes his whole life down and gives her the stacks of books. After many days, when he is preparing to move away by himself, he finds out that Sam is "Right Behind You."

The book "Right Behind You" has the reader hooked from the very beginning. The format is in short diary-like chapters, but with titles instead of dates. It flows very nicely and is easy reading. I like the fact that everything is in chronological order. The only thing I didn't care for was about Wade's homeschooling in Texas. As a home-schooled student in Texas, I know the law. There is no set amount of credits or classes needed for a home school, high school diploma. Texas does not strictly govern their home schools. Ms. Giles writes an outstanding book, and I really bonded with the characters, almost immediately. I highly recommend "Right Behind You" and look forward to reading more from this author.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too
Gail Giles is the queen of psychological thrillers for teens. And I know that with her last release, I stated that What Happened to Cass McBride? was my new favorite Giles book. However, I've taken the liberty of changing my mind (yes, again!) and saying that RIGHT BEHIND YOU tops even that great read.

Kip McFarland lived in Alaska with his dad. His mother had gotten sick and died. His Aunt Jemma, his mother's sister, tried to insist that Kip's dad stop living like an animal in the wilds of Alaska, and instead move somewhere proper to raise her nephew. And then he did, because nine-year-old Kip killed Bobby Clarke by setting him on fire.

In Indiana, he was Wade Madison, and he lived with his father and stepmother, Carrie. He became best friends with Dave, a teacher's son. He had a pretty hot girlfriend, Lindsey (also known as AC, for Absolutely Cutest). He was the star of the swim team. And then he couldn't take his own happiness anymore, went slightly ballistic with a group of his friends, and admitted to murdering a child. It was time to leave Indiana.

Carrie's own stepfather had died, leaving her a house in Texas. In Texas, he was still Wade, but he wasn't the Wade from Indiana. And then he met Sam, a girl with tragic secrets of her own, and life changed yet again. He didn't want to be Wade, he wanted to be Kip. But not the Kip that the newspapers had made out to be a monster, and not even the Kip who had once been Wade who was friendly and outgoing and happy-go-lucky. All he wanted was a life that allowed him to accept what he had done without dying from the guilt.

Get a copy of RIGHT BEHIND YOU. Read it and cry, and read it and think. Kip isn't a monster, but neither is he innocent. Kip is a boy who made a costly mistake, and has been paying for it ever since. This is his story, and it's an unforgettable one.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"

Heartbreaking and fascinating
This book was an impressive example of young adult fiction. Often, YA Fiction these days touches on nothing but the trivial, vapid subjects that riddle the media, but, as Gail Giles is apparently known to do, Right Behind You travelled way beyond that. I was drawn to the controversial subject of a story from the killer's view, the more so because I couldn't really decide who to side with in the end: the victim or the murderer, who was actually something of a victim himself. Even though I couldn't necessarily forgive Kip for his previous crimes, I could still feel for him and wish him the best for the future. Books like this beg the question: what would I do in this position? The position of the victim's family members? Kip's new friends? A difficult situation all around. For a YA book to tackle such a topic was a great feat, and for the most part, it was a success. Definitely alters the way one views forgiveness.

Additionally, the design of the book itself was intriguing. I actually picked it up initially because of its atypical size. The short pages helped to move the story along, and caused a deceptively quick, poignant read.