The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen by Susin Nielsen is the story of a boy and his family overcoming tragedy. The main character, Henry, has just moved to a new town to escape the horror that his brother inflicted on his family when he took a gun to school and shot a classmate and himself. This book is written like a journal so we get a clear picture of what is going on inside Henry's head. He is sad about losing his brother, angry at him, anxious about starting a new school and confused about how to lead a normal life all at the same time. Sometimes, we even get glimpses of his sense of humor as he makes new friends and we meet some very interesting characters.
We eventually learn that Henry's brother, Jesse, had been the victim of some very serious bullying. I think that this is an important book given the school shooting tragedies we have seen in the news. It is interesting and valuable to think about what happens to families when their loved ones commit serious crimes. I highly recommend this book!
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