The Rage Of Sheep

Michelle Cooper

Random House

August 2007 $17.95

288p pb

ISBN: 978-1741662405

I'd grown up being told that if I found myself tempted to behave in an unkind way, I just had to ask myself, 'What would Jesus do?' And then do that. Something hard pinged off the back of my seat and bounced down the aisle. So the question was, what would Jesus do if the Jameson sisters started chucking Jaffas at his head?
It is 1984 and fifteen-year-old Hester Jones is not having a good year. Her best friend has moved away and, even though Natalie and Lynda are allowing her to hang out with them, Hester's struggling to keep up with her cool new friends. Plus, she has the most embarrassing dad in the world, who's never, ever going to let her go to the birthday bash Natalie's planning. Worst of all, her Science teacher's making her work on a project about evolution with that weird Joshua Mason...
When everything goes wrong and the world stops making sense, Hester has to decide: is it better to be a sheep, or a goat?

The Rage of Sheep was a great book.  The storyline was really different, but really good.  Some of it was in letters to her best friend and some in regular story form.  The story made me think of how some girls and boys can really be cruel and how hard it can be in high school, trying to find your own feet and be accepted at the same time.  The book showed that she could stand up for herself even if it meant she wouldn’t have any one to stick up for her.  It was set in the 1980’s and it showed the prejudice that was against people of a different race like her, even though she was born in Australia, and how it didn’t really matter what she did, it was still hard for her to be accepted.  It was hard for her to really connect with her mother or father and get them to see how hard it was for her to fit in.  They couldn’t see why she wasn’t fitting in.  

I loved the author’s descriptions of things in everyday life.  It made me realise high school hasn’t really changed since the 1980’s.  I’d definitely recommend it to other girls.

Megan, aged 14, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria

The Rage of Sheep is a pleasantly deceptive novel. It is a teen book, filled with peer pressure, bullies, the dangers of drugs and alcohol, the predestined embarrassing parents, and a good dollop of teen angst. On top of all that Michelle Cooper had to bring God into it – not an exciting topic for your average everyday AC/DC loving teen atheist. Much to my surprise The Rage of Sheep was a compelling read.

At its base The Rage of Sheep is a coming of age story, where an introverted, hardworking, school minded girl becomes comfortable in her own skin. She encounters racism, overly-religious science partners and the pressure of being ‘cool’ – all in a small country town in Australia in1984.

Michelle Cooper has created a truly enjoyable read. Her writing style has the innocence of adolescence and is strengthened rather than diminished by its religious aspects. I laughed when she laughed and – though I’d never admit it – I cried when she cried and at the end I reveled in Hester’s triumph. The Rage of Sheep reads like a dream and will remain in my bookcase for years to come.

I didn’t expect to – but I loved it. Maybe it’s true that you can’t judge a book by its cover, who would have thought it!

Katherine, aged 15, Canberra, Australia