Nicholas Dane

Nicholas Dane is not so much a bad boy as a good boy in rotten circumstances. Skipping school one day, he returns home to find that his (otherwise loving) mother has died of a heroin overdose. Lacking close kin, he is sent to Meadow Hill, a boys' home in Manchester. After enduring every kind of brutality-including rape at the hands of the deputy head, a serial pedophile named Tony Creal-he escapes to a life of running drug errands. Burgess brings us back to the streets of 1980s Britain (the setting for 1996's ) in this raw indictment of his nation's child welfare system. In case readers miss the Dickensian parallels, one of the book's most sympathetic and tragic characters is named Oliver. Many bad things happen to these vulnerable teens, making for very hard reading for us sympathetic parent types. For that reason alone, this unvarnished depiction of a system gone wrong deserves our attention. — "35 Going on 13," 2/17/11

Gr 9 Up—Nicholas Dane is a typically rebellious 14-year-old, but he is loyal to the bone to those he cares about. When his mother dies from an overdose, he is sent to the worst home for boys in Manchester, England. Once there, he is tormented, beaten, and battered continuously by his peers and the staff. The abuse lessens when he is befriended by Tony Creal, one of the heads of the Home. Unfortunately, Mr. Creal is a master manipulator and has a long history of sexually preying on his charges. During this time, efforts to find some family for the boy turn up a very wealthy uncle who knew nothing about Nicholas's mother's existence, much less Nick's. The man is willing to pay for his nephew's education, but is told that the boy is incapable of behaving or learning and would be most success if he stayed in the home. Torture starts up again, after Nick refuses to spend time with Tony. One day a friend from the old neighborhood appears in Nicholas's division and saves him on some level. After a failed attempt to escape, the two flee and get involved with shady characters, running various errands for them. During this time, Nicholas erratically visits his mother's best friend, telling her that he is doing fine. As Nicholas gets caught up in street life, he learns that his experience in the home was not an isolated one. Burgess is a genius in drawing readers into a compelling, dramatic, and candid read. He examines the dark underbelly of society and the powers that corrupt and exploit its youth, yet offers an ultimately positive and hopeful message. This book will stay with readers long after they put it down.—Patty Saidenberg, George Jackson Academy, New York City

Nicholas Dane is not so much a bad boy as a good boy in rotten circumstances. Skipping school one day, he returns home to find that his (otherwise loving) mother has died of a heroin overdose. Lacking close kin, he is sent to Meadow Hill, a boys' home in Manchester. After enduring every kind of brutality-including rape at the hands of the deputy head, a serial pedophile named Tony Creal-he escapes to a life of running drug errands. Burgess brings us back to the streets of 1980s Britain (the setting for 1996's Smack) in this raw indictment of his nation's child welfare system. In case readers miss the Dickensian parallels, one of the book's most sympathetic and tragic characters is named Oliver. Many bad things happen to these vulnerable teens, making for very hard reading for us sympathetic parent types. For that reason alone, this unvarnished depiction of a system gone wrong deserves our attention. — "35 Going on 13," Booksmack! 2/17/11

Fourteen-year-old Nicholas Dane arrives at a school for wayward boys after his mother dies of a heroin overdose. A drugged-up headmaster, a pedophilic deputy head, a staff of sadistic monsters, and their tormented orphan prey make Nick's new home a living hell. Readers familiar with Nicholas Nickleby and Oliver Twist will find parallels here that will deepen their appreciation for Burgess's novel.