Goobie, Beth. The lottery - Book Review

Kliatt, Nov, 2002 by Paula Rohrlick

Orca. 272p. c2002. 1-55143-238-2. $15.95. JS*

At Saskatoon Collegiate High School, a small group of popular students known as the Shadow Council controls the student body through mind games. A lottery is held annually, and the student whose name is picked becomes the Council's "victim" for the year, required to do their errands, an accomplice in their cruel pranks targeting other students, and shunned by all as a social outcast. This year, the lottery "winner" is Sal, a feisty 15-year-girl who has enough problems without the Shadow Council; she still blames herself for her father's death in a car crash. Her older brother tries to protect her, and so does one of the Council's members, Willis, who invites her to play music with him and tries to shield her from the worst of the Council's actions. But Sal can stand up for herself, she discovers, and in the end she rejects her status as victim and bravely defies the Council.

Goobie, author of the award-winning Before Wings and other YA novels, makes this tale--clearly written in homage to Shirley Jackson's famous short story of the same name--a gripping and powerful narrative. English teachers may want to have students compare the two; the novel also provides a great opening to a discussion of peer pressure, and how and why people gain power over others. Contains a few obscenities, for those who need to know. Paula Rohrlick, KLIATT