Down.

Remy has recently completed nine months in a reform school after committing a violent assault upon a man who insulted his girlfriend. He is released into a world where his girlfriend has moved on to another love and his mother and sister have no time for him. Despite efforts to put the past behind him and get ahead in his new life, his plans are sabotaged when he continues to meet with old friends who are in a continual battle of prejudice and resentment with a group of newcomers. For Remy the fact that the leader of the outsiders is now dating Asia, his ex-girlfriend, brings additional conflicts and complications. The end result is deadly.

This short, high-interest novel is part of the Orca Soundings series for young teens reading below grade level. All have contemporary themes. Down is told in the first person by Remy himself and is a bleak but compelling novel. It leaves one with a sense of sadness for what might have been and for the good qualities of the hero, Remy, which are overwhelmed by his sense of anger and jealousy.

Norah McClintock, a multiple award-winning writer, leads the reader with a strong confident style through to the tragic conclusion of this story of violence and prejudice. Recommended.