Very well written, but pretty nonsensical, I found myself asking "but, but, how?" at pretty much every new paragraph. ( )

Elliott is afraid of everything. In fact, he doesn't remember ever not being afraid. His mother, his aunt and his doctor are the only people that don't remind him of monsters. But there are even some things he has to keep secret from them....like the fact he sees and talks to his twin sister, Ellamay, even though she died shortly after they were born. The only thing that shuts down the beast, his fears, are the little yellow pills he takes six times a day. The pills quiet his fears enough for him to not spend every second of every day terrified. Then one day the pharmacy makes a mistake and he might run out of medication during a holiday. His aunt goes to pick up his meds....but doesn't arrive at their house. Then his mother goes out to find out what happened and doesn't come back. It's a bit more than 500 yards from their house to his Aunt Shirley's home. But, Elliott doesn't usually leave the house. It's scary out there. Anything could happen. Elliott knows he has to brave his fears this one time and find out what happened to his aunt and his mother.

This story is so different. I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy it at first, but then as the characters developed more and the story started forming, I couldn't stop reading. What an awesome way to bring about more awareness about mental illness and its effects on children. This story is amazing! At times Elliott was so adult -- he understands he has a mental condition, he understands he needs his medication and he understands that at times how he feels is irrational......but then at other times, he is a 13-year old child dealing with a constant mental battle, feeling lost and alone, surrounded by monsters. The story is told from Elliott's point of view, painting a picture of how he views the world. His fears control his life, but he's still willing to step outside and find his mother.

Outstanding book! I'm not sure I would call it a "thriller'' like one of the book blurbs I read. For me, it was more emotional, showing the world from the point of view of a fearful, mentally ill child. It would be terrifying to almost be out of medication on Christmas Eve, then to have your two trusted caregivers disappear. That 500 yard walk to his aunt's house was terrifying.....and the situation that developed afterwards made Elliott face many more fears than just a walk through the snow.

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Candlewick Press via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.** ( )

In Born Scared we meet Elliot, a mentally ill 13 year old who is wracked with anxiety and afraid to leave the house. He lives with his mother and talks to his long dead sister but has no other social connections. The story centers around what happens when Elliot's mother goes to refill his medication and doesn't return as expected. Elliot must then decide if he should force himself to leave the house to look for her or not. There is a parallel story happening at the same time involving a hostage situation. Brooks ties the stories together as the book progresses. This is a fast paced thriller that does hold your interest and gives great insight into the mind of a teenager struggling with a crippling mental illness. My biggest complaint with the book was the abrupt ending. I wanted more resolution and more insight into the aftermath and consequences of the ending. All in all this was an enjoyable read with some unexpected twists. This review was based on a free copy of the book that I received through the Early Reviewers program. ( )

Literary Merit: Great
Characterization: Great
Recommended: Yes
Level: Middle or High School

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but it wasn't exactly what I expected from reading the inside cover. I knew it would deal with anxiety, but I thought it would focus much more on the mental illness itself than the mystery/thriller aspect. I didn't mind this, necessarily; it was still a quick and thrilling read, but I wanted more of a deep dive into Elliott's anxiety than what I got. Despite this, Born Scared was written incredibly well, and I think it would be easy for even reluctant readers to get through quickly.

Born Scared follows the story of a young boy named Elliott, who has bee plagued his entire life by crippling fear that keeps him trapped indoors with his mother. As the title implies, Elliott was born this way, suffering a traumatic incident in which his twin sister died and he only barely made it out alive himself. Now much older, Elliott still sees visions of his twin sister, who he named Ellamay in his own mind, and Elliott is forced to tame the "beast" of his anxiety with a regimen of medication. When this medication runs out right before Christmas Eve, however, Elliott's mom ventures out to retrieve it, only to disappear. As the clock ticks away and Elliott comes closer and closer to needing his medication, he realizes that it will be up to him to venture out into the unknown to find his mother... before it's too late. Born Scared is a page-turning thriller that will leave readers breathless for more, and shows us what can happen when we choose to face our deepest fears.

Without a doubt, the most powerful moment in this book can be found on page 19, when Elliott says, "I wish this was easier. I wish I could just lay my hands on your head and transfer what's inside me to you. I wish you could be me, if only for a moment, so you'd know exactly how I feel." As someone who suffers from crippling social anxiety, this moment felt so real to me that I had to sit with it for a moment before continuing. Unfortunately, this is the only such moment in the novel, which tends to focus more on the thriller aspect than it does the mental health. Still, this simple paragraph made me wonder if Kevin Brooks also suffers from anxiety, as for that moment he seemed to peer into my soul and understand exactly what was going on. While I wish the entire novel had focused more on Elliott's mental illness, I truly appreciate this one little moment in the story.

I also really enjoyed how the narrative flipped between Elliot, Shirley's son Gordon, and the two robbers holding Shirley and Grace hostage. While the novel isn't exactly clear on what Gordon's disability is, or on the minor characters who helped facilitate the robbery, Brooks gives the reader enough information to understand what's going on without beating us over the head with exposition. The entire novel is actually really cleverly written, swapping perspectives and weaving in bits of backstory and crucial information in a subtle but effective manner. Though this left me wanting a lot more than what I was given, I appreciated the fact that Brooks did not hold his readers' hands, instead forcing us to piece together the plot using the information he gave us. I have to admire any book that makes me think, and Born Scared was certainly full of food-for-thought.

My complaints about this book, as mentioned before, are that it doesn't focus on the mental illness as much as I would've liked, and that it leaves out a lot of details that I wish had been included. For example, I wanted to know more about Gordon's illness and his coworkers, who apparently drugged him and set the robbery plan into motion. In addition to these criticisms, the novel ends far too abruptly for my taste, leaving me wondering what would happen next. Is Gordon cleared for reckless driving? Do the police figure out that he was only driving recklessly because he was drugged? What happens with Elliott's injuries? Does he continue to live in fear, or does he start to get better after this incident? The novel ends so quickly that none of these questions are answered: we simply have to assume that all is well and that the robbers were brought to justice.

Overall, this novel felt like a much less humorous, reversed version of the movie Home Alone. Instead of being attacked in his own home by robbers, Elliott must venture out to find them holding his mom hostage. Instead of wacky hijinks, Elliott is forced to confront his inner "beast" in order to find his mother and put an end to her suffering. Because this novel takes place on Christmas Eve, I got the sense that Brooks might've been - at least in part - inspired by the classic Christmas movie.

I would recommend this book to fans of suspense, mystery, and crime thrillers, as it has elements of all three woven throughout. I would also highly recommend this to anyone who has suffered from crippling anxiety, if only for the one passage about wishing others could see inside your head. That moment alone was powerful enough for me to continue reading, and I found myself relating to and rooting for Elliot as the novel progressed. This novel is also excellent for reluctant readers, as it is fast-paced and short. While the writing style might be hard for a struggling reader to follow, it does a great job of capturing the reader's attention and pulling you quickly into the action. It gives very little time for confusion, and is a thrilling page-turner from beginning to end. I had never heard of Kevin Brooks before reading this book, but I thoroughly enjoyed his writing style and would love to see more from him in the future. ( )

This is one of those books that make me want to reach into the pages, pull out the main character and give him a hug. Elliott suffers from severe anxiety, he is afraid of almost anything including other people (he refers to them as monkems). But one fateful night, Elliott is plunged into his worst nightmare and he must find the strength inside him to fight his monsters.

This book shows us how crippling fear can be for those who suffer from anxiery, their triggers and how it affects their relationships. It also shows us how seemingly unrelated events can intersect and connect to create unexpected outcomes. And it shows us that there are two reactions to fear - flight or fight, and that sometimes we have to choose the latter in order to survive.

This book is both nerve-wracking and heart-wrenching. I enjoyed the build-up but the ending was so abrupt that it left me hanging. I want to know how Elliott and Gordon is in the aftermath, and what happened to the bad Santas. Overall though this is a good read, much thanks to LibraryThing and Candlewick Press for the review copy. ( )