Disconnected (Books for Young Readers) [Paperback]

Shelley Hrdlitschka (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1998 | Series: Books for Young Readers

Fourteen-year-old Canadians, Tanner and Alex, discover they have a mysterious connection when drug dealers kidnap Tanner while he is on a hockey trip, mistaking him for Alex who met them while running away from an abusive father.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-9For years, Tanner has had a recurring dream of swimming in the ocean, although he has never seen the ocean and cannot swim. The fall that he is 14, he begins having the dream more regularly, but it is becoming nightmarish. At the same time, Alex, who lives in a small coastal town, is biding his time until he can save enough money to run away from his abusive, alcoholic father. In December, Tanner goes to Vancouver with his hockey team; there, he hopes to see the ocean and put to rest his obsession with it. Meanwhile, Alex runs away to Vancouver but finds that life there is not easy. When Alexs girlfriend meets Tanner at the hockey game, it is only a matter of time until the two boys meet and find out that they are twins who were separated at birth. The book gets off to a slow start as the author sets the stage for the action, but then the pace picks up. Telepathy and telekinesis are used to explore the sense of disconnectedness that adolescents feel and the wish for a deeper connection with someone at any level. The combination of eerie dreams, a little romance, and ice hockey results in a good mix with reader appeal.Lynn W. Zimmerman, Southeast Middle School, Greensboro, NC
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 7^-12. Consistent with her title and theme, Hrdlitschka presents two seemingly unrelated stories that alternately weave through each chapter. Fourteen-year-old Tanner, who has never been to the ocean, is haunted by a recurring dream of struggling to swim away from an undersea attacker. Alex, on the other hand, lives in a small coastal community until his father's violent abuse forces him to run away. Hungry and homeless, Alex unwittingly becomes involved in a drug deal in the very town where Tanner has arrived to play in a hockey tournament. Some intriguing mix-ups and new revelations concerning Tanner's dream and Alex's home life eventually connect the two boys--and, finally, their disparate stories. Instead of working to convey a strong theme, Hrdlitschka simply presents believable characters in a well-paced, solidly told story that readers should find tremendously appealing. Roger Leslie

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Orca Book Publishers (January 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 155143105X
• ISBN-13: 978-1551431055
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,434,206 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great story of action and mystery!, January 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Disconnected (Books for Young Readers) (Paperback)

When Tanner is troubled by recurring dreams of swimming in the ocean - a place he's never been - he tries to understand why this is happening. Meanwhile, far away on the coast, Alex is having problems with his father. He decides to leave home and make his way to the city. His problems aren't solved by running away though, in fact they only get worse - much worse! Things aren't improving for Tanner either and the dreams grow more frequent, bringing on headaches that make him feel sick. When he makes a trip to Vancouver with his hockey team, he's unable to play and instead winds up in exactly the wrong place at the wrong time. The boys each have some frightening encounters but in the end, they're able to get help and discover a surprising connection. I highly recommend this book particularly for reluctant readers. It's sure to keep them interested and the characters are real enough for the reader to make their own connection.