Gentlemen by Michael Northrop

Summary (courtesy of GoodReads):  Micheal, Tommy, Mixer, and Bones aren't just from the wrong side of the tracks--they're from the wrong side of everything. Except for Mr. Haberman, their remedial English teacher, no one at their high school takes them seriously. Haberman calls them "gentlemen," but everyone else ignores them--or, in Bones's case, is dead afraid of them. When one of their close-knit group goes missing, the clues all seem to point in one direction: to Mr. Haberman.

And here's what I thought:   I thought this was an okay read, probably because I never really liked Micheal, who is our narrator throughout the story.   We experience everything through him, and I understand that this makes him a somewhat unreliable narrator --- but I just never really cared for him.  It seems that he's smart, but he's not interested in very much, especially school.  His friends aren't appealing, either, especially Bones, who actually comes off as a little scary.  What I did enjoy about this book was that Micheal's voice throughout the book was very clear.  I never had a good idea of what he looked like (and actually, I didn't care about that), but I felt like I had a clear idea of who he was. 

The story revolves around Micheal (and yes, that is how his name is spelled.... typing this has been driving me nuts!) and his friends, and an encounter they have with one of their teachers, Mr. Haberman.   Mr. Haberman is trying to teach them Crime and Punishment, right around when one of their other friends vanishes.  Question is:  did Mr. Haberman kill their friend?  I'm not telling you, but what I will say is this: towards the end of the book, Micheal and two of his friends confront Mr. Haberman and the result isn't pretty.

Thoughts on the cover:  Not the most enticing cover I've seen, although I like that the boy's face is hidden.  The image is pretty somber, but I felt that reflected the story.

First sentence:  "It started out as just another Tuesday at the Tits: first period, Practical Mathematics, nothing special." 

Where I got this book:  Library