Lee wants to be a Tarantula – a member of the biggest, most powerful gang in his neighbourhood. But when his initiation goes wrong and the police catch him robbing an auto supply store, Lee’s father sends him to live with his aunt in New Toronto.
Excerpt:
Lee Mercer has never had very many choices. When Lee was seven, his mother died of cancer, and his father works long hours on two jobs.
I spent most of my lifetime alone, without much help when my eyes dimmed from the dark rage that took hold of me and scared the hell out of me because I didn't know what it was or where it had come from.
Questions to ponder....
Lee was obviously angry and confused by the death of his mother at such a young age. What else was motivating him to act out and vent his frustration?
Lee Mercer does not start out as a very likable character. He sees the world in black and white. What, in you opinion, was the catalyst for Lee to make a change in his life?
Is there a similarity between the book jacket of this novel and the story line? Does this element have an impact upon how the content of the novel is perceived?
All actions have consequences. What significant life lesson did Lee learn from his friendship with Cutter?
In your opinion, what what the significance of the Blue Helmet in the overall theme of the book and just what was the author trying to relay to the reader?
Note from Ms. Secord:
Reading this book was a blast from the past for me! I grew up in the part of Toronto where this story took place. I often rode my bike around this neighbourhood all the way from 1st to 31st Street. References to Horner Ave., The Sherway Plaza and Mimico bring back such wonderful memories of my carefree days as a child. It was quite a different life than what Lee faced when he was first displaced here.
4 comments:
i thought it was a pretty good book. In my opinion Lee was a character you could relate to as I'm sure alot of you felt like he did at some point in your lives.
I found this book unrealistic. What kid would inherit a huge amount of money and not spend one penny on himself? He never got the TV for his room and still rode the old bicycle.
Sure his mother died and it showed a lot of emotional upset in his life. He made some bad choices and his father chose to remove him from that negative environment. There was no real struggle after that, everything fell into place for him. I guess with losing Cutter, it made him introspective.
I would sure like to meet a kid (17ish) who would automatically clean up someone's kitchen when they walked into it. You know fill up the dishwasher, clean the counter and he even made tea!
I am surprised that this book won the award.
Hi - i'm a FESS student who is in junior book club, and thoroughly enjoyed The Blue Helmet. I thought the fact that it shows real issues that happen when divorce occurs, haveing my mother been divorced herself, that shows real issues of divorce. Cutter was a great character - Slightly confusing at parts throughout the story, but one of my favourites. Lee goes through a lot of hardship in this book - being ashamed he couldn't make it as a Tarantula must of hurt thim, on top of moving to his aunt's whom he hardly knows.
This book shows a lot of shame, and dissapointment, but towards the end hard work and promise. I don't understand why Lee wouldn't spend the money he inherited from Cutter - I would have. This book is my favourite out of the books i have read (Another Kind Of Cowboy, Where Soldiers Lie) and am hoping to buy the book when I get the chance.
I loved Lee in this book. He acted tough but you could tell what he needed was someone to understand him. Lots of teenagers can relate to him. ^_^
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