The Guardian
Hunter has never had anyone to look out for him. His mother gave him away when he was young, he’s never known his father, and his foster mother leaves a lot to be desired in the mothering department. So when a mysterious, benevolent force suddenly starts coming to his aid, Hunter doesn’t know what to believe. Could he really have a guardian angel? Hunter so badly wants someone to care that he’s willing to take a leap of faith, and more. But when he finally learns the truth about his angel,...
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Hunter has never had anyone to look out for him. His mother gave him away when he was young, he’s never known his father, and his foster mother leaves a lot to be desired in the mothering department. So when a mysterious, benevolent force suddenly starts coming to his aid, Hunter doesn’t know what to believe. Could he really have a guardian angel? Hunter so badly wants someone to care that he’s willing to take a leap of faith, and more. But when he finally learns the truth about his angel, he’ll have to decide whether it’s the best thing that ever happened to him or the worst. This masterful pairing of suspenseful, fast-paced storytelling with genuine compassion and heart is Joyce Sweeney at her best.Publishers WeeklyHunter LaSalle, 13, might as well be named Hunted: his foster mother, two of his foster sisters and the school bully are all out to get him. His best friend was his foster dad, Mike, and the story opens at Mike's funeral. But when a motorcycle roars through the burial service, Hunter can't shake the feeling that the rider is connected to a vision of the angel Gabriel that he had at age four. On impulse, Hunter prays to Gabriel for help out of a few jams and immediately good, nearly magical things start happening. Hunter wonders if this really is divine intervention or if he is losing it ("We all go crazy in different ways, I guess. Being religious is better than getting a handgun and shooting up the family, right?"). Sweeney (Headlock) solves the mystery partway through, but replaces one source of tension with another to keep the pages turning. The plotting doesn't quite pass the plausibility test, but Hunter is a sympathetic hero, and his honest narration and the plentiful action will pull readers through to the end. Ages 14-up. (Mar.)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
\ Publishers WeeklyHunter LaSalle, 13, might as well be named Hunted: his foster mother, two of his foster sisters and the school bully are all out to get him. His best friend was his foster dad, Mike, and the story opens at Mike's funeral. But when a motorcycle roars through the burial service, Hunter can't shake the feeling that the rider is connected to a vision of the angel Gabriel that he had at age four. On impulse, Hunter prays to Gabriel for help out of a few jams and immediately good, nearly magical things start happening. Hunter wonders if this really is divine intervention or if he is losing it ("We all go crazy in different ways, I guess. Being religious is better than getting a handgun and shooting up the family, right?"). Sweeney (Headlock) solves the mystery partway through, but replaces one source of tension with another to keep the pages turning. The plotting doesn't quite pass the plausibility test, but Hunter is a sympathetic hero, and his honest narration and the plentiful action will pull readers through to the end. Ages 14-up. (Mar.)\ Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.\ \ \ \ \ VOYA\ - Jeff Mann\ Thirteen-year-old Hunter has a tough life—his father is estranged, his mother is dead, and he is living in foster care with three nosy foster sisters and an abusive foster mother. Even his life at school is tough—he has no friends and teachers think he is trouble. When his foster father dies, Hunter believes he sees Saint Gabriel at the funeral and afterward at several other places. Hunter begins to believe that Gabriel is his guardian angel and his protector. When several of his prayers are literally answered, Hunter is sure this motorcycle riding man he continually sees from a distance is a real angel who has come to watch over him. When Gabriel storms into his house after his foster mother attacks him, he soon discovers that Gabriel is actually his real father, recently released from prison for killing his mother years ago. Hunter's father takes him away and the two begin to bond, but Hunter discovers that his biological father may not be a real savior after all. Hunter's story is told in sparse prose covering a brief period in his life. The abusive foster parent, annoying sisters, and rough school life is familiar ground, yet Sweeney breathes new life into it through mystery and keeps readers guessing as to whether Gabriel just might be a real angel. Readers will care about Hunter's exploits and will root for this realistic character. Middle school readers and early high school readers will have to suspend their disbelief in places, but ultimately they will find a solid story with unusual twists and an everyday teen character that they will hope finds a peaceful place in the world. Reviewer: Jeff Mann\ \ \ Children's Literature\ - Paul Walter\ "I feel myself sort of cracking up, like splitting into two parts. One part of me—no, it's all of me—slides out of bed and lands on my knees. I fold my hands on top of the sheet… Gabriel, please. Come back to me." After losing his foster father, Mike Hunter is once again left reeling. Given up for adoption at a young age, Hunter bounces around "the system" for quite some time before ending up at Mike and Stephanie's house. While Stephanie was content with the two foster girls and one adopted daughter they already had, Mike wanted a boy, and they got Hunter. Stephanie's resentment for Hunter though only grows after Mike's death, spilling over to frequent verbal and sometimes harshly physical abuse. Hunter also takes abuse from his nark of an older foster sister, from bullies at school, and from himself as he wonders if he is actually inviting the cruelty. At the height of his emotional torment, Hunter turns for help to St. Gabriel, the patron saint of lost children. Hunter believes, as a young child, he was visited by St. Gabriel who told Hunter he would always protect him. Immediately after "contacting" St. Gabriel, Hunter's luck seems to turn around. He starts to make money, gets a girl, and avoids beat-downs at school. Unfortunately, Stephanie, in a moment of despair, takes a beating further than ever before. When the supposed St. Gabriel violently intervenes, the book takes a drastic turn, forcing Hunter to examine his past and his identity. While Hunter may be sorting out identity issues, he is an easy character to root for. Because he is constantly stepped on, Hunter is wary but never jaded. He wants to succeed, to please, to love, and to be loved. The author, Sweeney,also adds to Hunter's charm, in a Good Will Hunting sort of way, by placing him in the gifted class rather than following the cliche of an at risk, struggling student. Even Hunter's language and the tone of the book artfully tiptoes the line between authenticity and appropriateness, safely placing the title on middle school shelves while retaining some street credentials for reluctant readers. The only major drawback is the book's identity issues. While it starts engagingly as realistic fiction, it dabbles for a time in religious fantasy before jutting off into an intense "guys on the lam" tale. While the reader will loyally follow Hunter on the ride, wanting to protect him the way his version of St. Gabriel never could, there may be a waiting case of whiplash. Reviewer: Paul Walter\ \ \ \ \ School Library JournalGr 7-10\ Hunter LaSalle, 13, is devastated by the death of his foster father, Mike. Now he and his three foster sisters are left with their avaricious foster mother, Stephanie, who is cheap with maternal affection (particularly toward Hunter, whom she physically abuses) and exploits the children. Hunter is also bullied in school and negatively singled out by a teacher. Soon after Mike's funeral, an unseen force starts answering Hunter's altruistic and vengeful prayers. Hunter suspects it might be the angel Gabriel, leaving the boy yo-yoing between renewed faith and the possibility that he's going insane. After a violent confrontation with Stephanie, Hunter's guardian angel is (fairly predictably) revealed as Gabriel Salvatore, Hunter's spying, ex-con father. Kidnapped by Gabriel, Hunter quickly learns he's traded one dysfunctional, dangerous situation for another, and must make a choice: stay or run. This problem novel isn't light fare but is still age appropriate. Hunter's narration reveals a likable, self-aware teen starved for affection. Sweeney's prose is insightful and realistic, with cleverly delivered descriptions. The peripheral characters are believable, and the religious undercurrent supports the plot. Well-paced, and with a satisfying conclusion, this book will appeal to reluctant readers and fans of contemporary realistic fiction.-Danielle Serra, Cliffside Park Public Library, NJ\ \ \ \ \ \ Kirkus ReviewsThis fast-paced family drama will appeal to fans of The Rules of Survival (2006) by Nancy Werlin and The Compound (2008) by S.A. Bodeen. Thirteen-year-old Hunter feels utterly alone in a foster home, where his three "sisters" undermine his efforts to stay out of trouble and his greedy, cruel foster mother Stephanie blames him for everything. When the arrival of a motorcycle-riding stranger coincides with an unusual run of good luck for Hunter, he is tempted to believe that the man is a supernatural guardian angel sent to save him from his unhappy circumstances. But the reality is that the man is his biological father, an ex-con who wants his son back by any means necessary. In a particularly harrowing climax, the man violently confronts Stephanie and kidnaps Hunter. Terrified of being returned to his old life but unsure of his new one, Hunter has to decide if he can live with the consequences of his father's morally ambiguous actions. Suspenseful and unexpectedly tender, this short, action-packed thriller will be an easy sell to reluctant readers. (Thriller. 13 & up)\ \
