Scowler

Kraus, D. (2013). Scowler. New York, NY: Ember.

The hand of his father just continues to come down harder and harder and he grows older.  Nineteen year old Ry even has a near death experience from the abuse.  Through the belittling events, Ry begins to refer to his father as the Monster.  Things begin to change when his father is imprisoned and a meteorite travels towards Earth. 

Scowler is meant for ages 16 years old and up. The protagonist suffers abuse from his father. As he ages, the abuse intensifies. Almost equivalent to Stephen King, Kraus presents a science fiction novel that is a horror story. Teachers should be aware and cautious when highlighting this book making sure they are aware of student’s level of scariness. Students could compare this novel to other sci-fi and complete a cross text analysis.