Inventing Elliot

by Graham Gardner

Book Overview

When fourteen-year-old Elliot Sutton arrives at HolminsterHigh, he's determined not to stand out. He simply can't let himself become a target again--not like he was at his last school. This time, he's a new Elliot. Tough. Impenetrable. But then he meets the Guardians, a group of upperclassmen that secretly rule Holminster with a quiet and anonymous terror. Obsessed with George Orwell's book 1984, they desire power for the sake of power--and they always...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 014240344X
• ISBN13: 9780142403440
• Release Date: June 2005
• Publisher: Speak
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 4.1" x 6.6"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

Inventing Elliot "The Best Book for All !"

This book is a wonderful story about a kid that is going though things that kids like me go through evey day. You aways have to act a certin way to be cool, but thats not who u really are. Elliot shows parents and kids what you have to do to be cool,to fit in, to not be notice in the wrong way. when I read this book it put me in his shoes seeing what i've went through again.I think this is a great book for everyone to read,to see how you acted to be in and not to be weird,strange or anything other people do not think is normal.Bullying is something that is getting worse every day. Reading this book will make you think twice before you strat picking on that kid that is always quiet,that never wants to be with others. I love this book. I am so glad that My teacher(Mrs. Patsel) had me read this! Thank you all for read this . I hope you like this book a lot.I know I sure did!

A COMPELLING NARRATION

Every young person want to fit in, to be accepted by his peers. When someone is not a part of the group his or her life can be fraught with misery. This is the situation 14-year-old Elliot Sutton finds himself in when he is the target of hurtful teasing by his classmates. However, there's hope as Elliot is going to a new school, Holminster High, and he is determined to be different, to change himself so that he won't be bullied again. To this end, he adopts a facade, a tough exterior, an emotional armor to protect himself. British actor Dominic Taylor presents a compelling reading as he segues from a cowed young man to a hardened teenager and, finally, to the voice of Elliot's conscience. You see, it seems that there is actually no escape for Elliot as Holminster High has its bullies, too. Only, they're a bit more evil than the ones Elliot has known before. This is a group called the Guardians, no one knows exactly who they are but everyone knows enough to fear them. They're upperclass students who rule for the sake of ruling, and, of all things, they want Elliot to join them. Can Elliot, a boy who was once a victim become a victimizer? It's often a struggle to grow, and this young man faces some difficult tests in order to do so. - Gail Cooke

a deeply moving novel

In Graham Gardner's debut novel, fourteen-year old Elliot Sutton is determined to reinvent himself when he starts the academic year at his new school, Holminster High.Elliot was picked on and beaten up by bullies at his old school. He wants to make sure that he doesn't get noticed in the wrong way ever again. As a result, he wears the right clothes, changes his hairstyle and acts very cool. Much to his surprise, his plan succeeds.Elliot is noticed by the Guardians, a secret society of students who run the school by terrorizing and bullying students. Their organization is loosely based on George Orwell's book 1984. The Guardians would like Elliot to join them. Not wanting to get hurt again, Elliot goes along with them but soon finds out that he will have to pay a terrible price for his new position of power.Gardner made me feel Elliot's pain, both physically and emotionally. Most of his actions are driven by fear. There are several touching scenes in the book. Elliot befriends a boy named Ben who is one of the Guardians' favorite targets. Elliot and Ben spend several enjoyable Saturdays together, but ultimately their friendship dies because Elliot is afraid to associate with Ben. Elliot risks losing another friendship because he is hesitant to reveal who he really is. He is crazy about a girl named Louise, but he does not want her to find out about his secret life. Will he reveal his true self to her?In the end, this novel is about choices. Elliot has to decide how to use his new power. Ultimately he must listen to his inner voice and find his true self.If you are looking for a light, funny novel, INVENTING ELLIOT is not the book for you. It makes you think and touches on sensitive subject matter. I thoroughly enjoyed it because it opened my eyes to a world I've never known. I will be anxiously awaiting Graham Gardner's second novel. --- Reviewed by Renee Kirchner (...)

Utterly Fantastic!

It is really difficult to do this terrific novel justice in this review. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and Elliott kept me enthralled. I recommend this book for young adult readers, and think that is a particularly meaningful read for males. It is written with style and strength. A fantastic novel.

Richie's Picks: INVENTING ELLIOT

"And so I wrestle with the angelTo see who'll reap the seeds I sowAm I the driver or the drivenWill I be damned to be forgivenIs there anybody here but me who needs to know"--Grateful Dead, "Victim or the Crime" "Survival wasn't that difficult. It simply meant cutting off all the pieces of you that didn't fit. After a while, your new identity became second nature, as if you'd always been like you were now."The difficult part was managing and keeping apart all the different people you had to become." INVENTING ELLIOT is a smart psychological YA thriller set in a private high school in which Elliot, a scarred victim of bullying at his previous schools, is given the chance to start over in a place where nobody knows him, and then finds that his careful efforts at creating himself a new image lead to his being adopted into the heart of the students' secret power structure where he is offered the opportunity to mete out the kind of arbitrary, sadistic punishment to vulnerable classmates that he himself had been subjected to in his previous life. Elliot's constant fear is that any reluctance to play the game will lead to his once again becoming a victim himself. As most of us can imagine, being in his position means that Elliot will merely be trading one living hell for another. Elliot's deep fears, artfully hidden behind his newly minted veneer, are infectious. I was thoroughly on edge as I followed Elliot page by page. "When I'm in the showerI'm afraid to wash my hair'Cause I might open my eyesAnd find someone standing there"--Rockwell, "Somebody's Watching Me" Not having read 1984 since well back on the other side of that year, I was intrigued by the prominent role that Orwell's book plays in this story, with two schoolmates presenting their radically contrasting impressions of the book to Elliot. Through those contrasting visions put forth by his characters, the author provides additional fuel for Elliot's internal struggle, as well as tools for the reader to begin considering why the dynamics of bullying exist in schools and possibly why people in the larger society forever crap on each other as if it's an inherent part of being human. INVENTING ELLIOT asks more questions than it answers. This exceptionally well-crafted tale will grab readers in its ever-tightening snare and leave them wrestling with their own beliefs about power and how it is used.