This Is What I Did

by Ann Dee Ellis

Book Overview

Imagine if you had witnessed something horrific.
Imagine if it had happened to your friend.
And imagine if you hadn't done anything to help.

That's what it's like to be Logan, an utterly frank, slightly awkward, and extremely loveable outcast enmeshed in a mysterious psychological drama. This story allows readers to piece together the sequence of events that has changed his life and changed his perspective on what it means to be a...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316013625
• ISBN13: 9780316013628
• Release Date: February 2009
• Publisher: Little Brown and Company
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.4" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 13 to 18 years
• Grade Range: Grade 8 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

great author

I may be biased because I had the author as a writing instructor, but she is fabulous. It's a real challenge to write about difficult topics for kids. That's what makes this so great.

For the reluctant--and not so reluctant--reader

I can see why this book made the short list for the ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Readers. The story is captivating, the characters are endearing and the writing style is amazing. It's a short book (just 176 pages) with a lot of power to it. Logan is trying to keep it together after witnessing a horrible crime, but that's not easy when he's being bullied at school, judged poorly by adults and watching his parents fall apart. And he really doesn't want to talk about it--especially to the councilor his mom tricks him into seeing. But maybe, just maybe, with the help of some people who truly care about him and a whole lot of inner strength, Logan will be able to get through this. Written in a free-verse, stream of consciousness style, Ann Dee Ellis allows you to see into Logan's mind. Even the format of the book is eye-catching: with no chapters, the sections are divided by graphics that give you clues as to what will happen next. Some palindrome notes between Logan and a girl at school also give lightness to a pretty heavy tale. This was a quick, creative book that kept me reading with anticipation to the last page and wanting more even days after finishing the book.

Richie's Picks: THIS IS WHAT I DID:

"That's when I got up and walked out. I just walked out. "I didn't stop in the waiting room either. I didn't stop in the hall. I didn't stop down in the lobby. I didn't even stop at the car. I just kept going. But soon I was running. I sort of ran up the hill. "A hill. "I didn't know where I was exactly except that we were by the university, but it didn't matter. I ran up a hill and there was a construction site there and a bunch of guys jackhammering. "I ran past them. "I felt stupid for all of them to see me running but I didn't stop. "I kept running and panting and almost dying until I passed them and got to the base of the mountain. I can't really describe where I was or what it was like because I didn't know and I was about to pass out. "All I know was that all of a sudden I was at the base of the mountains where the trails start and I sat down by a tree where no one was around and no one could see me from the road. "I sat down and then I yelled." "I think I might be sort of messed up," is one of the few things that the frank and awkward eighth grader Logan Paloney will admit to, and he only admits that to the reader, not to the people in his life who care about him but are, for the most part, too busy with their own stuff to really help him. We don't know what happened, exactly, but we do know that Logan witnessed something horrible that involved his best friend Zyler and a girl in the neighborhood that both boys had a middle school crush on, and we know that Logan didn't do anything about whatever it was that happened. "Last week Bruce kicked me in the balls at Scouts and all his buddies were there laughing and I started crying." In the aftermath of the unknown incident involving Zyler, Logan's parents have moved the family across the city. It clearly would have been better to have moved across the country, for news and the rumors of Logan's involvement in something terrible have followed him across the city and, as a result, he is continually being beset upon by the eighth grade bullies at his school, at Scouts, and around the neighborhood. "I closed my eyes and wasn't with Jack and any of those guys. "Just me and Zyler. "Hanging out. "Like that one night when it was so snowy and we rode our bikes in the blizzard. "Down the middle of the road because there were no cars anywhere. "We didn't even have coats on but it didn't feel cold. "And Zyler was yelling things like: Santa Claus is dead! We own you all! "I was laughing. And riding around. And wasn't even scared about what Mom would say. "The snow landing on my tongue. "On my cheeks. "On my bare arms. "In circles and circles and circles. "And I was not here. Not here. Not HERE. Not here." Will the girl at school with the big nose and a penchant for palindromes be the real friend that Logan needs? Will he ever tell someone what really happened? THIS IS WHAT I DID: has a lot of line breaks like a verse novel and a lot of dialogue, making it an extremely quick read. Even the more

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Zyler is gone. Logan is drowning in guilt. Will an attempt to make a new start really work? Logan is a different kid. He has twin younger brothers whose lives revolve around sports. His dad cares, but he's busy. His mother is pregnant, something he'd rather not think too much about. They care, but they don't know what to do to help him. Not a kid with lots of friends, Logan seems to manage to participate in life at a normal level. Boy Scouts offers him a chance to mingle with other boys his age, but most of them are bullies who use him for target practice. He does fairly well in school and is gutsy enough to try out for the school play and nail the greatest on-stage fight scene they've ever seen. He has friends (or at least acquaintances) that surround him and fill his life, but none like Zyler. Zyler and Logan had a special friendship. They rode bikes together, did projects together, heck, even liked the same girl together. They knew each others' strengths and weaknesses. Logan even knew how Zyler's father treated his son, but respected Zyler's need for privacy. Once again, Zyler is now gone, and Logan's family has chosen to move a short distance away to give Logan a fresh start. Hopefully a new school, new friends, and new activities will allow him to forget that night. Unfortunately, the guilt moved right along with Logan. Ann Dee Ellis uses a unique style of prose to take readers into the mind of Logan Paloney. There is a bit of a wait for readers to discover the exact cause of Logan's oppressive guilt, but the journey is worth the effort. This disturbing story makes one wonder about the personal and private worlds of those around us. Logan's actions could have changed the outcome of events in one person's world, but is that a risk just anyone is willing to take? Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

Great new author!

As a middle school teacher, I make an effort to read new authors as their books come out. I'm certainly glad I read this one! "This Is What I Did" is a fantastic book with an engaging story and characters. The author has a unique voice and writing style and I finished reading the book the day it arrived in the mail!