For your own good. [book discussion kit]

Format:

Book (regular print)

Title:

For your own good. [book discussion kit]

Other title(s):

Book discussion kit: For your own good.

Author:

Downing, Samantha author

ISBN:

9780593100981

Edition:

First edition.

Publication:

[Newberg, Oregon : CCRLS, 2022]

Physical Description:

10 books (373 pages ; 24 cm), 1 discussion guide ; in container.

General Note:

Edition of book used: New York, Berkley, 2021

Plastic tote containing ten copies of the title.

Summary:

"USA Today bestselling author Samantha Downing teaches all the wrong lessons in her latest sneaky thriller about a calculating teacher in a privileged private school who knows he has the power to make or break your kid's future...and he uses it.... Teddy Crutcher has just won Teacher of the Year at the prestigious Belmont Academy, home to the best and brightest. He says his wife couldn't be more proud--though no one has seen her in a while. But Teddy can't be bothered with any of the rumors and the recent string of murders on campus. His main focus is on these kids. Sure, his methods can be a little unorthodox and maybe just a few of them don't actually deserve a bright future. But someone's got push these kids to their full potential. It's really too bad that sometimes excellence can come at such a high cost"-- Provided by publisher.

Local Note:

For use by CCRLS libraries only. Not available for inter-library loan.

Subject(s):

Teachers -- Fiction.

Private schools -- Fiction.

Genre:

Psychological fiction.

Suspense fiction.

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Newberg Public Library	BOOK KIT DOWNING	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER

"Witty and macabre."--Caroline Kepnes

"Slick and chilling."--Megan Miranda

"A perfect summer book."--NPR

USA Today bestselling author Samantha Downing is back with her latest sneaky thriller set at a prestigious private school--complete with interfering parents, overeager students, and one teacher who just wants to teach them all a lesson...

Teddy Crutcher has won Teacher of the Year at the elite Belmont Academy, home to the best and brightest.

He says his wife couldn't be more proud--though no one has seen her in a while.

Teddy really can't be bothered with a few mysterious deaths on campus that are looking more and more like murder , or with the student digging a little too deep into Teddy's personal life. His main focus is pushing these kids to their full academic potential.

All he wants is for his colleagues--and the endlessly meddlesome parents--to stay out of his way. If not, well, they'll get what they deserve.

It's really too bad that sometimes excellence comes at such a high cost.

Author Notes

Samantha Downing currently lives in New Orleans, where she is furiously typing away at her next thrilling novel.

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

From the very first line, Downing draws readers into the unsettling and atmospheric setting of her latest thriller. At Belmont Academy, most of the students and faculty are rich; they give little thought to how things are outside their bubble. But not Teacher of the Year Teddy Crutcher. He knows how things should be, and he won't let little things like the death of a parent or a fellow teacher get in the way of his vision. Readers who enjoy high-stakes thrillers will find much to enjoy here. Every time readers think they know what's happening, Downing introduces a new character or another twist. The story is told from the perspective of multiple characters, which helps increase the tension in the novel as characters reveal conflicting information about what is happening. The ending weaves together the many threads Downing tangled together throughout the novel, and the final line leaves readers with the disturbing feeling that this is not the end of Belmont's issues. There is, unfortunately, some fatphobia and ableism. The book would have been stronger without these elements. VERDICT An unsettling and twisty thriller that deals with entitlement, revenge, and the lies we tell ourselves; readers who enjoy Tiffany Jackson, Karen McManus, and Holly Jackson will find a lot to love in this book.--Ness Shortley, Horton Middle Sch., Pittsboro, NC

Publisher's Weekly Review

Within weeks, Belmont Academy's image plummets from gilded Ivy League gateway to ghoulish #HomicideHigh in this slyly plotted page-turner from Edgar finalist Downing (He Started It). It's going to take more than a few inconvenient bodies on campus, however, to derail such driven Belmont community members as English lit instructor Teddy Crutcher, whose recent teacher of the year award seems to have done little to diminish the massive chip on his shoulder, or talented but entitled junior Zach Ward, the most recent individual to arouse his ire. That is, until the less than stellar police investigation targets a student close to both Teddy and Zach, gifted school newspaper editor Courtney Ross. Their independent efforts to help her only make matters much, much worse--as well as put them on a dangerous collision course with one another. Though falling short of the boldly bizarro plot and quirky characters of He Started It, this thriller nonetheless offers darkly comic amusement and ample surprises from its cast of unabashedly amoral schemers. Downing remains a writer to watch. Agent: Barbara Poelle, Irene Goodman Literary. (July)