Restart is a stand-alone young adult novel written by the Canadian American Gordon Korman and was published in 2017. With a career of over 40 years, Korman has written several young adult and children books selling more than 28 million copies. This middle-grade fiction explores the subjects of bullying and second chances taking on a more somber tone than Korman’s previous works.
The story follows an 8th-grade student Chase Ambrose with amnesia after falling from the roof of their house. Chase embodies the archetypal persona of a quarterback jock as he exhibits ego-boosting behaviors and bullies other pupils. Being offered a second chance he takes the opportunity to make amends with those he hurt in the past. He works towards reinventing himself and creating better relationships by being kind to old friends and foes.
Rather than focus solely on Chase’s perspective, the author uses multiple points of view and narrators. Therefore demonstrate how actions and situations affect each character hence a much fuller narrative. School Library Journal wrote, “A fresh approach to the familiar topic of bullying, kept credible by believable characters and events, with typical Korman humor and just the right touch of mystery.”
