This book review is part of series of reviews written by students at St. Margaret’s Episcopal School for their 7th grade English classes.
High school is a crazy place! The Boy Who Couldn’t Sleep and Never Had To, a book written by DC Pierson, an author and comedian, talks all about the life of two social outcasts living throughout high school. DC Pierson uses a lot of descriptive words in his book, and with these words he shapes the somewhat normal story into an amazing tale. This book kept me on my toes, pulling out interesting ideas one after another. I did not get bored, because of all the exciting places this book leads me to. The book ventures into things such as mutations, into art, and finally into revenge. I loved all of the twists and turns.
The setting of this book takes place in a high school on the East Coast. There are two kids, Darren and Eric, who are social outcasts, just trying to get through high school, but Eric has a deep dark secret. The book starts off slow as Darren just goes through his life, and then it starts picking up the pace. It goes from multiple days of nothing going on to conflict everywhere you go! This book kept my attention more than most books i have read, and it would most likely do the same to you.
Darren Bennett was a very boring, scrawny, and unnoticeable kid from his high school. He never liked talking to other people, and would rather stay home then go to parties. He enjoys drawing, and started making a graphic novel/mini movie out of these drawings he has. He hates when people ask things about him, and just hates high school in general.
Eric Lederer, a nerdy and weird kid, came to talk to Darren one day while he was drawing. Once they started discussing, Darren “noticed something strange about this kid.” It may have been the way he was standing, but there was something truly weird about him. Eric is an exceptional student who would turn projects in days earlier before they were due, and would get straight A’s. After Eric and Darren become best friends, they work on a graphic novel together for about 6 months. After a while Eric opens the lock containing his secret, and his secret was he can’t sleep, and never has. There is one side effect of this secret… Eric has concentrated bursts of hallucinations every 3 weeks or so. Eric’s secret, if been told to the wrong people, could cause Eric to be tested on by the government.
Christine is a drama geek, who just loves drama and theatre above anything else in the world. Christine meets Darren and invited him to a party. Christine and Darren started hanging out a lot, and eventually became boyfriend and girlfriend. Once Christine comes to Darren crying about how her drama show has been cancelled, and he disappointed her by not quite being support. After Darren was proven to be difficult to understand, she went to talk to Eric. She and Eric became amazingly good friends, and instead of just going on dates with Darren, she started inviting Eric to them as well. One day, Christine goes to Eric’s house, and he was having a hallucination. Their interest within each other increasingly grew, until Christine dumped Darren for Eric.
Darren gets really furious, and thinks of nothing else but how to get back at Eric. Darren finally finds out a way to get even by telling his local church’s priest Eric’s secret. A couple days pass then a mysterious man shows up at their high school searching for Eric, forcing Eric to go into hiding. Eric sincerely apologized to Darren, by breaking up with Christine. So Darren helped Eric in his quest to elude the mysterious man.
What I like about this novel is that it keeps my attention up, through all the conflict and all the secrets. There are many corners to turn with much more pleasure after each one. What I did in fact dislike about this novel is all of the cursing, and drug use. I would recommend this book if you are into books with adventures, but I would not recommend this if you are below 15 years of age because of all the mature content.
-Leo K., 7th grade
Mission Viejo Library Teen Voice 