 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Trash
- By Andy Mulligan
- Genre: Adventure
Common Sense Media says
Powerful adventure about dumpsite kids a true treasure.
Parents say
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this book is about three boys living in a trash dump -- and they are pretty frank about the often disturbing details of their impoverished lives. One is beaten by police and suffers nightmares afterward, while another lives in a rat-infested hole in the ground; all three face unsanitary, inhumane conditions as they work in trying to find anything of value in their trash dump city. In one scene, a protagonist cuts a would-be captor in the face with his hook, then flees during gunshots. A police interrogation and another description of a warehouse-like prison with endless cells and inmates will haunt readers.
What's the story?
Set in the near future, this book follows three boys from a trash dump city who come together when one of them discovers a mysterious wallet. Clues lead them into a huge conspiracy involving a corrupt official at the near top of their government. But the police are already after them: Will they get caught before they can find the stolen money, rumored to be a whopping six million dollars? And what will they do with the money if they find it?
Is it any good?
Told through multiple narrators, each with a unique voice, this story will grip teens: Readers will find themselves racing through the adventure with the three boys as they try to sort through opaque clues (and even break a difficult code) before they are caught by the corrupt police. At the same time, they will be swept up in the details of their trash city, known as Behala, where trash "mountains go right from the docks to the marshes" and the boys support themselves and their families by "picking through the stuff this city throws away." Indeed, details about their lives in this futuristic, Third-World city -- and the atrocities experienced by the poor and others, including an elderly justice fighter -- may stick with readers longer than the actual adventure story at its heart.
Explore, discuss, enjoy
Families can talk about books set in the future. Even books that are set in the near future, like this one, often feature dark elements, like corrupt police and governments, and more disparity between rich and poor. Why do you think that is? Do books like this one do anything to prevent these ideas from becoming reality?
Why do you think the author decided to keep the exact year and location a mystery? It seems that the story is set not too far from now -- and that it is set somewhere in the Third World. Does it bother you to not know exactly when or where the story is taking place?
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- Teens & kids
Teen, 13 years old
September 11, 2011
AGE
A remarkable but realistic tale of mystery and intrigue
Fascinating mystery story in a most unusual and gritty setting. The resourcefulness of the uneducated protagonists is remarkable, but remains realistic. I was looking for a book to read aloud to a fifth grade class, and this one held my interest from start to finish. If you're looking for something syrupy and sweet you'll need to look elsewhere, yet in the end the good side of the human spirit triumphs here.
What other families should know:
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Teen, 15 years old
July 16, 2011
AGE
Really good, but language!
I enjoyed this book a lot! It was interesting, exciting, and just overall awesome. However, this IS language (I have NO idea what the review is saying with "not applicable"). The a-word, s-word, and d-word a few times (and sometimes it's the kids who say the words).
And I know that at the end of the book, I wanted to get in the shower! I honestly felt like throwing up once or twice while reading it. But it was really good, and I would actually suggest it to people. :)
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Teen, 13 years old
October 16, 2011
AGE
Nice
good read
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Teen, 13 years old
September 29, 2011
AGE
Language?
This is a suspenseful and thriling tale of several boys living in the trash on an epic adventure. When I read this book, I couldn't put it down, but there is language in this book. However, chances are that your kids have probably heard some if not all of the words mentioned in this book by 11 years old. I loved this book when I read it. After reading it for the first time, I flipped to page 1 and read it over again.
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Teen, 14 years old
May 24, 2012
AGE
Bad book
the worst book i ever read
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| Author: | Andy Mulligan |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Adventure |
| Publisher: | Random House |
| Publication date: | October 12, 2010 |
| Number of pages: | 240 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 12 - 12 |
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