Shot, or Someone in My Backpack

Twelve-year-old Artyom doesn't like noisy parties; he is withdrawn and unsociable. Going to an unfamiliar place is for him like stepping into outer space. He is content with the virtual world, where he feels confident and can hide from problems and responsibilities. "If you pretend that this world doesn't concern you, then it won't concern you," the boy believes.

But one day on his way home from school, Artyom picks up a stray cat—pitiful, dirty, sick. "A Scottish Fold cannot belong to anyone," he concludes, and this encounter turns his life upside down. For the sake of saving a weak creature, he does what he couldn't do for himself: he asks for money and help from his parents and classmates, learns to negotiate and communicate… Maybe it's just time for him to grow up?

For middle school age.