Right Behind You

by Gail Giles

Book Overview

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?

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316166375
• ISBN13: 9780316166379
• Release Date: November 2008
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.0" x 6.9"
• Age Range: 15 to 18 years
• Grade Range: Grade 10 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

Self Reflection for Adolescent Readers

Can a person make a bad mistake that hurts others irrevocably all in one irrational moment and go on to live as he would have if he hadn't made that mistake? Can he if that mistake kills someone? Can he if he is only ten years old and he still has a childhood to navigate? Not very easily, and author Gail Giles, a grandmother, deftly explores that journey in this story told from the point of view of the ten-year-old boy, following him up through high school. Ms. Giles forces self reflection on her adolescent readers: if there can be no forgiveness, if there can be no forgetting, what are the qualities a person must have in order to live as a whole human being? I read this book because a few of the boys in my seventh grade class asked me to. These boys could not get into the Twilight series that so many girls in the class had found romantic and thought Right Behind You did address their ideas of romance (they didn't put it quite this way). The romance in Right Behind You is more about whether a girl can love a boy even though he is deeply flawed; whereas the romance in Twilight is more about a girl feeling very, very special to a boy. Who says being a reading teacher isn't interesting... Middle school and high school boys have liked this book because it is told from their perspective. However, since it is the kind of book that explores how individuals use compassion and courage to cope with the unthinkable, it is a good story for any young reader to add to their memory bank. One of the many great things about being a reader is that a reader will have company on life's long bumpy road. Right Behind You is a good book to have packed for the ride.

Great Characters, Great Story

in a sentence or two: after a horrible (alleged) accident, Kip is trying to find some sense of normalcy as he transitions from a ward for juvenile delinquents into high school life. Kip has to keep to keep his past a secret, but how long do you keep such a sordid past locked inside? Kip burned his 7 year old neighbor alive. he was only 9 at the time. to be fair, Kip was dealing with some pretty heavy stuff for a 9 year old - his mother had died of cancer, he lived with his dad out in the great Alaskan nowhere, and that neighbor kid was taunting Kip with his brand new baseball glove and teasing him that he didn't have a mom to give him one. but still...Kip took the gasoline, doused the glove (and neighbor in the process) and tossed the lighter. he wakes from a catatonic shock-coma 4 weeks later and prepares to spend the foreseeable future in juvie. Kip's story starts from the accident in Alaska and transitions to his time in juvie. Giles was able to paint a pretty vivid picture of the fellow offenders, the process of rehabilitation and counseling, as well as Kip's inner thoughts as he grows older and living his life "behind bars" so to speak. it then moves along to high school which, lets be honest, is already anxiety-filled enough without being from no-where Alaska and having spent your childhood in juvie (which isn't really the best setting for social development). despite all that, he makes friends, does well in school, and even joins the varsity swim team. unfortunately, Kip finds that keeping his secret isn't easy... let me just say that i LOVE Gail Giles. she writes some of the best nail-biters for young adults out there. but more than that, her books - including this one - have some honest, deep, and complicated characters. from Kip's shrink in juvie, to Kip's remorseful father, to his step-mom, even his teachers at his new school, the characters in this book are not perfect - but redeemable. the creativity and plot were incredible, but i feel the characters are what really made this book amazing. Giles also examines the psychology behind what was going on throughout Kip's journey, which i found fascinating. i loved the first two Giles books i read: What Happened to Cass McBride and Shattering Glass. i was not disappointed with this one. heck, i was thrilled! i read the thing in 2 days (with working and having an all day seminar). for such a heavy theme, the book provides thoughtful reflection, how important the support of family can be, and the beauty of hope. this is a book i'd re-nerd over any day! fave quote: "I turned ten. Ten. I should have been in boy scouts. I weighed sixty-two pounds. I had a loose back tooth. I had murdered another child." (18) fix er up: i'm not sure there's anything i'd change about this. maybe, just maybe, have a more developed conclusion (aka - i want to know what happens after the story). that's not really a fix er up, more of my being so absorbed that i want to know everything that happens ever in the

Would your opnion change if...

"Right Behind You" has to be without a doubt one of Gail Giles' best novels. The story of a boy making a mistake that would affect him for the rest of his life. His mistake was murdering a child. Now, of course, you think, 'What a monster?!', but would you opnion change if you found out that he was a child when he murdered the other boy? Would youe opnion change if you found out that it was an accident? When you hear stories of young boys going to mental hospitals, you angry and feel as though they're getting off easy, but do you ever consider what he as a human being is going through? The inner battle that he/she has to go through for the rest of their lives? That's all answered in "Right Behind You".

One of the best I've read

This novel by Gail Giles is an excellent read for teenagers and adults alike. It captures you in so easily and you won't be able to put it down. The only problem it has is that it was too short, I just wish it could've gone on longer, it was that great! The first page and the last chapter all come together in the end and I'll definitely try to read this superb book again. I absolutely recommend this to anyone over the age of 13. 5 stars

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"