I read a ton of young adult books with my kids, but not on my own; however, something about Dead Ends just grabbed me so I checked it out and I'm glad I did. It's one of those books that kept me up far later than I should be up, just waiting to see what's going to happen next. This is the story of Dane, a smart kid raised by a young, single mother, growing up on the wrong side of the tracks. He covers his insecurities by being a bully, and is one suspension away from expulsion at school. Billy, a boy with Down Syndrome, and his single mother move in across the street from Dane. When Billy badgers Dane into a conversation and Dane tells him, "You're lucky I don't beat up retards," Billy takes that as an invitation to be Dane's friend. And when the principal learns of this "friendship," he cuts Dane some slack on the expulsion, so Dane reluctantly goes along with it.

It doesn't take long for Billy to tell Dane what he really wants: fighting lessons, and help locating his dad using the mysterious riddles his father left for him in an atlas years ago. As the search goes on, Billy toughens up, Dane gets gentler, and their friendship grows. Along the way, Dane learns another secret Billy has been holding and things get even more difficult for both boys.

I thought this was a fantastic book about a touching friendship between two very different boys, with very real issues tackled along the way: bullying and abuse, absent parents, and "have-nots" trying to get by in a school of "haves." I think this is a great book for young adults, as well as adults, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes stories about friendship, broken families, acceptance, and love. ( )

3.5

Due to copy and paste, formatting has been lost.

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. ( )

** Actual rating: 3.75 **

I first heard about Dead Ends while researching ARCs that I knew would be at BEA. I was intrigued by the idea of a bully and a Down Syndrome kid working together, but I was also nervous. It would be far too easy for the author to fall back on cliches and stereotypes to drive home a simplistic moral about bullying. Thankfully, Ms. Lange does no such thing.Dead Ends is definitely a character-first story. Though the plot itself is cute (Downs boy tries to find his dad by way of clues in an old atlas), it would be nothing without Dane and Billy D. Dane is our narrator, a tough-as-nails kid with a quick wit and quicker punches. He has all the trappings necessary to pull off the bully stereotype: an absent father, a low socioeconomic status, and a hair-trigger temper. He’s a big kid with bigger fists who loves taking from the haves and making them have-nots.

READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW AT: http://www.shaelit.com/2013/09/review-dead-ends-by-erin-jade-lange/#.UkWDiWSc5Yw ( )

Dead Ends is a book about an unlikely friendship. Dane is a bully and Billy D., the new kid in town, has Down Syndrome. Dane doesn’t think of himself as a bully. As far as he is concerned, he only hits those who deserve it, and never girls or Special Ed students. After all, he has standards. But he is just one detention away from suspension, and then expulsion, when he is offered a chance to redeem himself by helping Billy D.

Full review on my blog: http://writingboutreading.wordpress.com/2013/08/31/dead-ends-by-erin-jade-lange/

This review is of a digital Advance Copy from Bloomsbury Children’s Books through NetGalley. ( )