Edge [Audiobook] [Hardcover]

Alan Gibbons (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 5, 2004

'We've got to go. Now.' It's early morning and Danny's mother is at his bedside, urging him to get up. They're on the run from Chris, his mother's boyfriend, a violent man who beats them both up, and won't let them go. Chris pursues Danny and his mother from London to the north, where they take refuge with Danny's grandparents. But even there, nothing is safe. Danny is conspicuous as the only mixed-race boy in their small community, and with the ever-present threat of discovery, he has to learn how to live continually on the edge. A tense and chilling story to which the chase gives terrific drama, The Edge shows the depth of character, and the understanding of the predicaments of children today, that gives Alan Gibbons his special quality.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9-From the opening music clip that jangles the nerves, tension runs high in this audio version of the novel by British author Alan Gibbons. Jerome Pride offers a range of convincing British accents and speech patterns that enhance the story of teenage Danny and his mother as they make a frantic escape from Chris, his mother's live-in boyfriend who is a violent abuser. Having left urban London with its cosmopolitan mix, Danny encounters his first dramatic experience with racial and ethnic prejudice in his mother's more rural hometown where his racially mixed parentage is very much an issue both in his grandparents' home and his new school. Central characters alternate telling the story in separate chapters, and Pride does an exceptional job of providing each with a distinct voice. The word edge is a key one in this book, both for abusive Chris Kane's over the edge mental state and the edge of the local imposing cliff overshadowing this fast-paced, dramatic, and danger-filled story. As Kane stalks the two runaways and racist unrest threatens them as well, the disturbing story races on as seen through the eyes of all key players. Pride's additions of verbal tautness and drama will keep listeners on the edge of their seats, and the repetition of that jarring sound clip at the beginning and end of each CD side ratchets up the tension. Three minute tracks help those following along in the text. Public and school libraries serving teens will find this audiobook in demand.-Jane P. Fenn, Corning-Painted Post West High School, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Review

"Alan Gibbons is committed to writing books boys will read...No film or television could compete with the immediacy of this intense plotting." Sunday Herald --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Orion Childrens H/B & Trade Pb (February 5, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0752861395
• ISBN-13: 978-0752861395
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The Edge, March 20, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Edge (Paperback)

This book is very rubbish for it is just a boy runnig from a city. P.S i have not just looked at the front cover.