Korman, Gordon. Restart.

Korman, Gordon.  Restart.  Scholastic  2017  243p.  $16.99  ISBN 978-1-338-05377-7  ms/jr  Conflict  VG-BN

In this novel a young man named Chase, the biggest bully at school, has a concussion that gives him amnesia and changes his personality as well.  He cannot remember much about his life before the accident that caused the concussion, and has to rely on other people to tell him what was going on in his life back then.  Although the action of the novel seems to drag a bit in the middle chapters, it becomes very engaging toward the end when Chase is faced with making some decisions about his life and who he wants to be. A nice touch is that Korman is making the point that kids can be both athletes and intellectuals, and that being athletes does not have to mean they are bullies. An interesting take on bullying and victimization as well. If readers can get through the slow-paced middle they will be rewarded with some hilarious and exciting action at the end of the story.

Summary: When Chase wakes up from a coma, he discovers he has lost large parts of his memory, including the fact that he was the world’s biggest bully!

Bullying-Fiction, Humor-Fiction                                      --Carol Kennedy