Gr 6-9

Terence, Gecko, and Arjay made serious mistakes and wound up doing time in juvenile-detention facilities. Empathetic adult Douglas Healy, a former juvenile offender himself, has secured a grant to operate an experimental halfway house in New York City designed to provide second chances to boys deemed as deserving. The teens accept his offer to become his first reformees, willing to trade their bleak incarceration for a small taste of freedom, even though the bargain entails maintaining academic excellence, therapy, and community service. Though Gecko and Arjay enter into the deal in good faith, Terence seems bound for recidivism. Gecko and Arjay attempt to intercept him one night as he tries to use the fire escape as a means of reconnecting with his newfound, gang-related associates. A scuffle ensues and, when Healy intervenes, he falls to the ground, unconscious but still alive. The boys "borrow" a vehicle and drop him off at a local hospital where he awakens with retrograde amnesia. The teens then face the seemingly impossible task of keeping up appearances while also working behind the scenes at the hospital to ensure that Mr. Healy eventually regains his memory and returns to his post as their overseer. This novel is signature Korman; it is a celebration of good, youthful intentions and a wholesome and fun treatment of what might otherwise be prohibitively gritty issues. As such, it's a great choice as a middle school read-aloud.-Jeffrey Hastings, Highlander Way Middle School, Howell, MI

Three young miscreants are offered a shot at redemption in this unlikely but likable comedy of errors. Gecko, Arjay and Terence are all in stir until the compassionate Douglas Healy selects them to live with him in a New York group home. Gecko, jailed for helping his brother steal a car, and gifted musician Arjay are incredibly grateful for the opportunity and vow to make it work. Terence, however, is arrogant, hotheaded and careless; in an attempt to sneak out one night, he causes an accident that knocks Healy unconscious and results in his amnesia. Desperate to avoid being returned to juvie, the three hatch a scheme to cover for Healy, hoping that he will regain his memory in time to save them. The well-developed and distinct personalities of the three boys provide ample ground for Korman to build their frustrations with one another as the fantastical plot moves forward. While perhaps a bit predictable, the emotional growth of each boy is nicely constructed and believable, and the dialogue is spot-on. (Fiction. 12 & up)

Gordon Korman tells the story of three juveniles, Gecko, Arjay, and Terrance, who are given a second chance when chosen by Douglas Healy, for an experimental halfway house. Christopher Evan Welch tells their story with an unemotional narration. Although the story doesn't have the depth of some of Korman's other novels, Welch's businesslike delivery shines a harsh light on the ways society fails our at-risk and marginalized children. Unfortunately, the plot veers from the realism Korman is known for when Healy becomes an unidentified coma victim and the boys manage to maintain their school, therapy, and community service regime in spite of their lack of support and supervision. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine