Right Behind You

Gail Giles
Little, Brown Young Readers (2007)
ISBN 9780316166362
Reviewed by Michaila Hamilton (age 17) for Reader Views (12/07)

“Right Behind You” starts off with the murder of a young boy in Alaska. Kip McFarland sets his friend on fire over a silly birthday gift: a baseball glove. The boy dies an agonizing three days later and Kip is sent to a psychiatric institution for the criminally insane. He undergoes years of therapy and is released. When he is released, all of his family has to change their names because of vigilante justice.  People have burned the family's home, chased his dad out of town, and deliver horrible threats. When Kip is released from the hospital the family moves to a small town in Indiana. Soon, Kip (now called Wade) makes friends. He does great in school, has a girlfriend, and is a star swimmer on the swim team. It all comes crashing down though, when Wade spills his secret at a campfire one night.

Once again the whole family is targeted with threats. The swim team refused to swim with a child murderer, his stepmom is fired from her teaching job, and his dad is forced to leave his job. The family moves again, this time to a beach in Texas. Wade decides not to go to public school. He stays home and keeps to himself in the hopes of not hurting his family again. But, there is a girl next door with her own set of secrets.  Over time, she teaches him to sail and to trust. She also learns to trust him. After she confides in him about her past, he decides that he must tell her. With the support of his family and therapist, he writes his whole life down and gives her the stacks of books. After many days, when he is preparing to move away by himself, he finds out that Sam is “Right Behind You.”

The book “Right Behind You” has the reader hooked from the very beginning. The format is in short diary-like chapters, but with titles instead of dates. It flows very nicely and is easy reading. I like the fact that everything is in chronological order. The only thing I didn't care for was about Wade's homeschooling in Texas.  As a home-schooled student in Texas, I know the law. There is no set amount of credits or classes needed for a home school, high school diploma. Texas does not strictly govern their home schools. Ms. Giles writes an outstanding book, and I really bonded with the characters, almost immediately.  I highly recommend “Right Behind You” and look forward to reading more from this author.

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