Cutter Boy by Cristy Watson should probably come with a trigger warning. The book deals with bullying, feelings of being ignored or unloved, and with cutting. The story is not necessarily a good read for someone who is triggered by any of these things.A teen boy cuts himself to feel better - to release angst or pain related to being bullied, being ignored by his parents, or anything else that makes him feel bad. Then a new girl moves into town who seems to like him. Between this new girl and a substitute teacher who shows him incredible art made from cut paper, he starts to wonder if there's a better way.This book, as I said, should come with a trigger warning. While none of the subject matter of this book is triggering for me, I know plenty of teens who would be triggered by this book. Some might be triggered to relapse into cutting again. Others might take courage that perhaps there might actually be a better way to deal with their daily struggles. Teens who have issues with bullying or cutting should probably be supervised by a parent or trusted friend while reading the book to ensure the subject matter doesn't cause issues for them.This book is well written and honestly, seems to be rather realistic in some aspects. It is possible that the depictions of bullying, cutting, etc., may not be accurate. I do not have personal knowledge in these areas, so I cannot be certain that it is accurate but it at least seems realistic to me. The characters are wonderful and everything that Travis feels makes so much sense when certain facts are finally revealed. I gave this one 4 out of 5 stars. I recommend this book to those struggling with cutting for the simple fact that this book can show them there is a better way and that they might find that if they look hard enough or hold on long enough that there is a better way to handle their problems.
