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About The Book

In the middle of the night Garrett is taken from his home to Harmony Lake, a boot camp for troubled teens. Maybe some kids deserve to be sent there, but Garrett knows he doesn't. Subjected to brutal physical and psychological abuse, he tries to fight back, but the battle is futile. He won't be allowed to leave until he's admitted his "mistakes" and conformed to Harmony Lake's standards of behavior. And there's no way to fake it. Beaten, humiliated, and stripped of his pride, Garrett's spirit is slowly ebbing away. Then he hears whispers of an escape plot. It's incredibly risky -- if he's caught, the consequences will be unthinkable -- but it may be his only way out.

In this tense, riveting novel, award-winning YA author Todd Strasser reveals what really goes on in highly secretive -- and notoriously dangerous -- boot camps, a stealth prison system where any teenager under the age of eighteen can be imprisoned at his parents' whim.

About The Author

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Todd Strasser has written many critically acclaimed novels for adults, teenagers, and children, including the award-winning Can’t Get There from HereGive a Boy a GunBoot CampIf I Grow UpFamous, and How I Created My Perfect Prom Date, which became the Fox feature film Drive Me Crazy. Todd lives in a suburb of New York and speaks frequently at schools. Visit him at ToddStrasser.com.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (December 14, 2010)
  • Length: 256 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781442428881
  • Grades: 7 and up
  • Ages: 12 - 99

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Awards and Honors

  • Lincoln Award: Illinois Teen Readers' Choice Master List
  • ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
  • Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers Nominee
  • NYPL Best Books for Teens
  • Rhode Island Teen Book Award Nominee
  • Florida Teens Read Master List
  • Gateway Readers Award Final Nominee (MO)
  • Virginia Readers' Choice Award List
  • Iowa High School Book Award Nominee
  • ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults - Top Ten

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More books from this author: Todd Strasser