Boot Camp
by Todd Strasser

    BOOT CAMP by Todd Strasser
    Category:  Contemporary
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 9+
    Release Date:  5/22/07
    Publisher:  Simon & Schuster
    Reviewed by:  Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"
    Rating:  5 Stars


    It seems that every time I turn on the TV, there is some program about teen boot camps or wilderness survivals
    programs designed to straighten out even the most delinquent of teens.  Todd Strasser, author of GIVE A BOY A
    GUN and CAN'T GET THERE FROM HERE, has written a book that takes the reader inside the boot camp
    experience.

    Garrett is from a rich family and goes to a good private school where he is a straight-A student headed for an Ivy
    League college.  He has experimented with smoking pot, but he's definitely not a "pothead."  According to his
    parents, his one unforgivable offense is his sexual relationship with one of his teachers, a woman eight years his
    senior.  According to Garrett, his choices just don’t reflect what they want from his life. He thinks his grades and the
    fact that he stays out of trouble should be enough for them, but because of Garrett's refusal to end his relationship
    with the teacher, his parents send him to Lake Harmony.

    Lake Harmony's staff practically guarantees success.  They promise to take any wayward teen and make them the
    child their parents always wanted to have.  On the surface this sounds like quite a deal; however, the teens learn
    quickly what lies beneath the surface.  Lake Harmony offers nothing but torture, brainwashing, poor living
    conditions, disgusting food, and limited parental contact.  Teens in the program spend anywhere from one to three
    years suffering in this boot camp until most are finally released with broken, damaged spirits.

    Strasser takes readers inside the camp where they meet Garrett, Pauly, and Sarah.  Although Garret hasn’t been
    there as long as Pauly and Sarah, the three form a special bond and vow to escape before the camp kills them.

    While reading BOOT CAMP, I found myself gasping at the abuse and needing to set it aside to digest the horrors
    visited upon these teens.  The details are vivid and raw, and, unfortunately, probably more true than anyone would
    like to believe. Just as many of Strasser's books do, this one will stay with you long after you finish the last page.