Dead Ends - Tapa dura

A compelling read (The Bookseller)

[Dane] is no clear-cut hero and Billy D no flawless victim: Lange is too good for that. Both boys are fully-fleshed individuals with the capacity to amuse, delight and infuriate, and we teeter deliciously between loving them and wanting to bang their heads together in exasperation (Annabel Pitcher Guardian)

Ever since The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time made Mark Haddon a cross-over star, Young Adult novels that deliver on a multitude of levels are the holy grail. Last year John Green hit bulls eye with The Fault In Our Stars. The year before it was RJ Palacio's incredibly moving Wonder. This year's first serious contender is Dead Ends, a tale of the unlikely friendship between Dane - a school bully with principles (he doesn't hit girls or special ed kids) - and Billy D, one of the latter, who has Down's syndrome. "He's not a retard. And he's not my friend." It will fling you around like a rag doll and there may well be ugly crying. (Harper's Bazaar)

Poignant, tough, and rewarding (Metro)

A riddle rarely makes sense the first time you hear it. The connection between Dane and Billy D doesn't make sense any time you hear it. But it's a collection of riddles that brings these two unlikely friends together. Dane Washington lives by two rules: don't hit girls and don't hit special kids. Billy D has Down's Syndrome and thinks a fierce boy who won't hit him could come in useful. Billy D has a puzzle to solve, after all, and he has the perfect plan to make Dane help him. Billy is sure the riddles in his atlas are really clues left by his missing dad. Together, Billy and Dane must embark on an epic road trip, although most of the clues lead to dead ends. What Dane doesn't realise is that Billy D isn't as innocent as he seems and the biggest secret is hidden close to home...