36. Bluford High: Secrets in the Shadows by Anne Schraff

Bluford High: Secrets in the Shadows by Anne Schraff
ISBN: 0439904854
Scholastic, New York, 2007
126 pages

Teaser: Roylin Bailey was a young, impressionable young man in a poor neighborhood. He longed for a better way of life and when the girl of his dreams walked into his classroom, he had his sights set on making her his girl.

Summary: The setting is in a poor, black neighborhood where the kids struggled to stay in school, keep out of trouble and the only way out was often through selling drugs and stealing. Roylin wanted to fit in and impress a new girl, who seemed to like him for being himself. Roylin finds the cost of temptation devastating when his elderly friend dies after he steals money from him. He then finds it is his heart to enjoy friendships with his older relatives and teachers. In turn, those around him see him as a better, more caring person who they want to be closer to as well.

Evaluation: I liked this book for a pre-teen audience. It was simple, with morals and real life situations where choices reflect on many people, not just the one committing the acts. I would recommend the series for teaching life values and simple relationship examples between the changing characters beginning high school. The series deals with drugs, stealing, gang involvement and situations that some pre-teens may not have experienced, but allows them to see consequences and the value of proper decisions. The series also reflects attitudes of family, friends and conflicts of pre-teen and early teenagers and how they deal with them. I like this series for the morals and the ease of reading. The series is ongoing, but changes characters and settings to keep the interest of the readers.

Challenges issues and age recommendation: Poverty, stealing, and drug use are all major themes in this book. I would recommend this book to readers 12 and up. If the series were longer and written with more street language, swearing or more detail into sexual settings, I would up the recommendation to high school. The author appears to have toned it down for a younger audience intentionally.