Going Where It's Dark
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- £2.99
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- £2.99
Publisher Description
From the Newbery Award–winning author of Shiloh comes a middle-grade novel that combines adrenaline-fueled adventure with a poignant coming-of-age story.
Buck Anderson’s life seems to be changing completely. His best friend, David, has moved away; his anxious parents are hounding him more than ever; he has reluctantly agreed to fill in for his uncle and do odd jobs for a grumpy old veteran in town; and his twin sister has a new boyfriend and is never around anymore. To top it all off, Buck is bullied by a group of boys at school—mainly because he stutters.
There is one thing that frees Buck from his worries. It is the heart-pounding exhilaration he feels when exploring underground caves in and around his hometown. He used to go caving with David, but he’s determined to continue on his own now. He doesn’t know that more changes are headed his way—changes that just might make him rethink his view of the world and his place in it.
Praise for GOING WHERE IT’S DARK
“A well-constructed and well-paced story that will be appreciated by anyone who has ever felt out of place or bullied.” —School Library Journal
“Buck’s strength is inspirational, and his family’s love and respect are heartwarming.” —Kirkus Reviews
“With characteristic sensitivity, Naylor delivers an engrossing account of a boy’s interior and exterior struggles.” —Publishers Weekly
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
It troubles 13-year-old Buck Anderson that he's keeping his family in the dark about key facets of his life. Buck is being bullied because he stutters; an elderly neighbor, a former speech pathologist, is working with him to reduce his stuttering; and he has discovered a hole in the countryside that leads to a network of underground tunnels, which he has explored alone breaking the cardinal rule of caving. The smallest kid in seventh grade, Buck has felt friendless ever since David, his best friend and fellow caver, left their rural Virginia town. Naylor (the Alice series) juggles these plot elements with aplomb, keeping the novel's adventure component alive while exploring Buck's angst, eroding self-esteem, anger, and strained relationship with his well-intentioned if sometimes misguided family. In the story's most harrowing sequence, Naylor brings the book's themes together when bullies abandon Buck in a deep pit, and he has to rely on his caving know-how to save himself. Writing with characteristic sensitivity, Naylor delivers an engrossing account of a boy's interior and exterior struggles. Ages 10 up.
