Chill »

Chill's foot dragged behind him like a murder victim being taken to a shallow grave by a killer too weak to do the job, but he still stood straighter than any other kid in school. Chill has always been different, but the way he deals with his disability and his art have given him the power to survive the horrors of high school. When a new teacher arrives, determined to crush his students' spirit, Chill decides to fight back and risk everything. A story of doing the right thing and standing up for yourself and your friends. Colin Frizzell is an author, a poet and a playwright, living in Toronto, Ontario. This is his first novel.

Children's Literature

When a new English teacher arrives, narrator Sean thinks he will finally get a chance to have a writing mentor, the way his best friend Chill has always been encouraged in art classes. Sean reasons with himself that Mr. Sfinkter (pronounced Sf-I-nkter) is only harsh to his students because he is trying to prepare them for the real world. But Chill knows better; he knows Mr. Sfinkter is really just cruel. The different views on their teacher cause a rift to form between the two friends, but when Mr. Sfinkter finally breaks Sean's trust, Chill does something to show just what kind of teacher Mr. Sfinkter really is. Sean, in turn, tries to help Chill when Chill's act might get him expelled. Chill is a very interesting character and more description of him and his thoughts would have been nice, especially during the middle of the book when a lot of the story is Sean's own rationalizations about Mr. Sfinkter. The story line, however, is one many students will relate to, though hopefully most will not have had teachers quite so horrible. A thought-provoking yet easy book to read, this is one that younger teens, especially boys that are reluctant readers, should give a chance.