Nasty Future for Naughty Boys - All Good Children
"Living
with hope is like
rubbing up against a cheese grater. It keeps taking slices off you
until there's so little left, you just crumble."
Quick-witted, prank-pulling graffiti artist Maxwell Connors is more observant than the average New Middletown teenager. And he doesn't like what he sees. New Middletown's children are becoming frighteningly obedient, and their parents and teachers couldn't be happier. As Max and his friend Dallas watch their classmates transform into model citizens, Max wonders if their only hope of freedom lies in the unknown world beyond New Middletown's walls, where creativity might be a gift instead of a liability.
For those who like their dystopias with a rich character sauce and a side of humour.
Awards and Honours
The Canadian Library Association's 2012 Young Adult Book Award Winner.
A YALSA Teens' Top Ten nominee.
An Ontario Library Association Best Bets for Young Adults Honourable Mention.
A Resource Links' 2011 Year's Best title.
Reviews
"Strong characterization as well as a thrilling and horrifyingly plausible plot all combine to make All Good Children a wonderful read. Great literature is never limited by its genre." (Montreal Review of Books, Fall 2011)
"Action packed, terrifying, and believable, this entertaining novel will provoke important discussions about subservience, resistance, and individual freedom." - Booklist, November 2011.
"Highly Recommended." (Canadian Materials, October 2011)
Teen Fiction (ages 12+)
- 312 pages, library binding
- Themes: friendship, responsibility, social control; dystopia
- Published Fall 2011; ISBN: 978-1-55469-824-0
Buy a Copy
You can purchase a copy of All Good Children from:
- the publisher, Orca Book Publishers;
- an online retailer including: Amazon (Canada) or Amazon (USA); Chapters (Canada); McNally Robinson (Canada); or Barnes & Noble (USA);
- or your local independent bookstore. (If your local bookstore doesn't carry a title, just ask and they will order it for you - with no shipping costs to you, and you'll probably have it in just a week.)
Or you can find a copy at your local library. (If your local library doesn't carry a title, ask and they may purchase it for their collection or find you a copy via interlibrary loan.)
If you're really stuck, I can probably lend you my copy.
