9781599906409

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Bloomsbury USA Childrens

On sale:

September 2011

Price:

$16.99

Format:

Hardcover

Size:

5.0625 x 7.75 in

Pages:

336 pp

Ages:

14

Grades:

9-12


ISBN-13: 9781599906409

ISBN-10: 1599906406



Going Underground

By Susan Vaught

Book Description

When does falling in love become a crime?

Del is a good kid who's been caught in horrible circumstances. At seventeen, he's trying to put his life together after an incident in his past that made him a social outcast-and a felon. As a result, he can't get into college; the only job he can find is digging graves; and when he finally meets a girl he might fall in love with, there's a sea of complications that threatens to bring the world crashing down around him again. But what has Del done? In flashbacks to Del's fourteenth year, we slowly learn the truth: his girlfriend texted him a revealing photo of herself, a teacher confiscated his phone, and soon the police were involved.

Basing her story on real-life cases of teens in trouble with the law for texting explicit photos, Susan Vaught has created a moving portrait of an immensely likable character caught in a highly controversial legal scenario.


“Vaught creates her characters and situations to help her message, but gives them more than enough life to carry the story, rather than feeling like puppets (the addition of a cursing and flatulent parrot named Fred helps). Del’s story—alternating between flashbacks and the present day—is tragic, frustrating, and believable, and teens should have no problem empathizing.” —Publishers Weekly

 

“Vaught, a practicing psychiatrist, knows her territory and portrays the senselessly harsh consequences of criminalizing normal behavior in lucid, convincing detail. A valuable look at the downside of prosecutorial discretion and its impact on teens.”—Kirkus Reviews

 “This ripped-from-the-headlines story is heartrending but also hopeful. As a cautionary tale, this novel gives teens pause to consider their actions under the law.”—School Library Journal