Dead Ends by Erin Jade Lange

Dead Ends by Erin Jade Lange
Series: N/A
Source: Netgalley
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication Date: September 3, 2013

Dane Washington is one suspension away from expulsion. In a high school full of “haves,” being a “have not” makes Dane feel like life is hurtling toward one big dead end. Billy D. spends his high school days in Special Ed and he’s not exactly a “have” himself. The biggest thing Billy’s missing? His dad. Billy is sure the riddles his father left in an atlas are really clues to finding him again and through a bizarre turn of events, he talks Dane into joining him on the search.
A bully and a boy with Down syndrome makes for an unlikely friendship, but together, they work through the clues, leading to unmarked towns and secrets of the past. But they’re all dead ends. Until the final clue . . . and a secret Billy shouldn’t have been keeping.
As a journalist, Erin Jade Lange is inspired by hot button issues like bullying, but it is her honest characters and breakneck plotting that make Dead Ends a must-read.

In a lot of ways, Dead Ends was exactly what I expected it to be. It was a book about a kid with down syndrome who becomes friends with a bully. I expected that. What I didn't expect was how much I loved said bully.

I really thought that Dane was a good guy. He was really sweet (even if he didn't want to admit it) and to be honest, he was kind of a good person; but that's only if you can let the bullying thing go. And I could, after a while, because it was obviously something that he struggles with. He doesn't exactly want to be who he is. And his relationship with Billy D was very well done - obviously, Billy got on his nerves sometimes, but he never hit him, even if they do fight.

Billy D was a good enough character, but I feel like all of the real development was with Dane. Billy was kind of a side character, I guess, even if he is a big part of the book. Billy was just harder to identify with. He's just so naive and just kind of... he's a kid. I still liked him, though, because he was a bit of a bright spot in Dead Ends.

I also really liked Seely. It was very refreshing to see a tomboy character for once, and I loved that even if her situation is slightly weird, she's very open about it. She's a good person, that's obvious. The biggest thing that Dead Ends has going for it is the characters.

The story was easy to read, and the plot moves quickly... but the characters are where it's at. All in all, Dead Ends was a good read, and I liked it.

Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King

Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King
Series: N/A
Source: Bought
Publisher: Little, Brown
Publication Date: October 3, 2011

Lucky Linderman didn't ask for his life. He didn't ask his grandfather not to come home from the Vietnam War. He didn't ask for a father who never got over it. He didn't ask for a mother who keeps pretending their dysfunctional family is fine. And he didn't ask to be the target of Nader McMillan's relentless bullying, which has finally gone too far.

But Lucky has a secret--one that helps him wade through the daily mundane torture of his life. In his dreams, Lucky escapes to the war-ridden jungles of Laos--the prison his grandfather couldn't escape--where Lucky can be a real man, an adventurer, and a hero. It's dangerous and wild, and it's a place where his life just might be worth living. But how long can Lucky keep hiding in his dreams before reality forces its way inside?

Michael L. Printz Honor recipient A.S. King's smart, funny and boldly original writing shines in this powerful novel about learning to cope with the shrapnel life throws at you and taking a stand against it.

I think I keep waiting too long after reading to write reviews, so please forgive me if this one doesn't make sense. And it probably won't. When I start Everybody Sees the Ants, I was expected a book very similar to Please Ignore Vera Dietz, which I adored. And although they had a lot of similarities, in my mind they were completely different.

Lucky, the main character per this one, is a huge nerd. I don't know exactly what makes him a nerd for me, but he'll be stuck forever as that in my mind. And the poor guy is bullied, he doesn't stand up for himself (his daddy made him that way) and one day it just goes too far. His mom gets sick and tired and leave town to stay with her brother. That's when the real story starts. Before that it was like we were just getting all the info for the build up of leaving, so we could see why. Good call there. (Completely off subject, but the bully: Nader. That sounds like a kid who would get bullied to me.)

But anyway. So they're gone. And Lucky starts explaining these weird dreams. Every time he has one, we get the down-low. And honestly, I have no idea whether Lucky is downright delusional, or if he's actually sane. Because the dreams...they're weird. And they're true to him, which makes it even harder to make a decision. Surreal is the best way to describe this entire book.

Lucky was really weird, too. On top of having all of these strange dreams, he's (as mentioned before) nerdy, and not only that, but he's a bit anti-social. I was so proud of him when he started to make friends! Because no matter how weird they were, I loved them. I mean, they're doing a public play named "The Vagina Monologues", and are doing it seriously. How are they not awesome? I mean, if it makes you uncomfortable it's probably not awesome, but I thought it was hilarious and actually kind of meaningful.

All in all, Everybody Sees the Ants was a very weird, surreal book. If you have problems reading about vaginas, or bullied boys, don't read it.