The Packing House

The Packing House Cover
Publisher Name
Booktrope Editions
Age Range
15+
Release Date
January 18, 2016
ISBN13
9781513705590
ISBN10 or ASIN
      

When sixteen-year-old Joel Scrivener has a raging nightmare in study hall and someone records it on their phone, he awakens to a living nightmare where everyone knows the secret he's avoided for ten years. Reeling from a series of bullying incidents posted on YouTube and an ill-timed mid-year move, Joel takes to the woods, leaving the bullies and his broken home behind. However, life as a runaway isn’t easy. Joel finds it difficult to navigate break-ins, wrestle hallucinations, and elude capture. He races to figure out who his dream-world attacker could be, piecing clues together with flashes of remembered images that play endlessly inside his head. Besides these images, the one constant thought occupying Joel’s mind is Amber Walker, the girl he’s been in love with for years. Amber sees little beyond the broken boy Joel has become, despite the letters they’ve written back and forth to each other. But Joel is stronger and more resilient than he looks, and it’s time he convinces Amber of this fact, before he runs out of chances with her for good.

When sixteen-year-old Joel Scrivener has a raging nightmare in study hall and someone records it on their phone, he awakens to a living nightmare where everyone knows the secret he's avoided for ten years. Reeling from a series of bullying incidents posted on YouTube and an ill-timed mid-year move, Joel takes to the woods, leaving the bullies and his broken home behind. However, life as a runaway isn’t easy. Joel finds it difficult to navigate break-ins, wrestle hallucinations, and elude capture. He races to figure out who his dream-world attacker could be, piecing clues together with flashes of remembered images that play endlessly inside his head. Besides these images, the one constant thought occupying Joel’s mind is Amber Walker, the girl he’s been in love with for years. Amber sees little beyond the broken boy Joel has become, despite the letters they’ve written back and forth to each other. But Joel is stronger and more resilient than he looks, and it’s time he convinces Amber of this fact, before he runs out of chances with her for good.

User reviews

1 review
Overall rating
 
4.3
Writing Style
 
4.0(1)
Plot
 
5.0(1)
Characters
 
4.0(1)
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
4.0(1)
Already have an account? or Create an account
Important to Share
Overall rating
 
4.3
Writing Style
 
N/A
Plot
 
N/A
Characters
 
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
I’m not an avid reader, but I could not put this book down!
The Packing House is an extremely important story to share. It is educational for adults to know that abuse really happens too often and that too many kids experience it every day. It is empowering for teenagers who need encouragement to go to someone they trust and to get the help they need.
As a parent of a boy who is the same age now as Joel was then, what sticks in my mind is the innocence of how young Joel was. He didn't have any way of knowing what was happening to him or why. It breaks my heart, but also reminds me to be grateful for my own children’s safety.
The descriptions are tactfully written, enough that the reader knows exactly what happened without needing every detail "spelled out."
I found myself rooting for Joel particularly at the school and later for him to tell someone so that Joel could get the help he needed.
The Packing House makes me want to tell every child being abused to go get help, to talk to someone, and that it’s not their fault!
I highly recommend it be shared in schools and churches for teenagers to read (maybe for their parents to read it first). The resources and discussion questions listed make it an excellent “ready for classroom” teaching tool. Even if the teens who read it are not currently in a situation such as Joel’s, they likely know someone else who is or was and can maybe even help that someone.
May this book greatly impact readers in meaningful, life-changing ways!
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 1 0