The End of the Line

Book excerpt: Thirteen-year-old Robbie is locked in a room with nothing but a desk, a chair, a piece of paper, and a pencil. He's starving, but all they'll give him is water. He is sure he's in a nuthouse or a prison. Actually, he's at Great Oaks School, aka the End of the Line. Kept in solitary confinement, Robbie must earn points for food, a bed, even bathroom privileges. He must learn to listen carefully, to follow the rules, and to accept and admit the truth: he is a murderer. Robbie's first-person account of his struggles at the school--at times horrifying, at times hilarious--alternates with flashbacks to the events that led to his incarceration. Ultimately he must confront the question: which is worse--that he wanted to kill his friend Ryan or that he killed him by accident? Gripping and suspenseful, this is a powerful, no-holds-barred novel by an exciting new talent.