Fade to Black (Hardcover)

by Alex Flinn (Author) "Alejandro Crusan, a junior, was apparently attacked this morning at the corner of East Main and Salem Court..." (more)
Key Phrases: tall cop, letter jacket, Clinton Cole, Alex Crusan, Memorial Hospital (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Gr. 7-10. Flinn, author of Breathing Underwater (2001) and Nothing to Lose (2004), takes aim at bullying once again. This time HIV-positive Alejandro Crusan, a Florida high-school junior, is the target. After being attacked in his car by a baseball bat-wielding teenager, Alex is hospitalized while recovering from his injuries. Clinton Cole, prejudiced and afraid of catching AIDS, hates Alex and is responsible for tormenting him on several previous occasions. Now he claims he's innocent. However, Daria, a teen with Down syndrome, saw Clinton at the scene of the attack; she also witnessed one of the earlier assaults. The teens alternate telling their stories and sharing their secrets, as Alex struggles with the truth about the attack and about the origin of his HIV-positive status. Daria's narration unfolds in free verse, a form that effectively shows both her halting, repetitive speech and the disparity between her inner thoughts and her ability to communicate them. Teens will enjoy ferreting out the reality from the conflicting narratives and arguing about the sensitive issues raised along the way. Cindy Dobrez
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"Alex Flinn is the queen of writing troubled, yet multi-dimensional, teens." -- Teenreads

"Fans of legal thrillers might check out Alex Flinn's intriguing Fade to Black." -- Washington Post Book World

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen (April 12, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060568399
• ISBN-13: 978-0060568399
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,067,149 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #37 in	Books > Teens > Health, Mind & Body > AIDS & HIV
  #46 in	Books > Children's Books > Issues > Tolerance

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This is great quick pick., January 22, 2006

By	Bibliophile "Fitzpatrick" - See all my reviews

This was a compelling read. I enjoyed the alternating perspectives of the three characters. I thought that this book offered several great messages and themes. This would make for a good teen discussion. There were also enough twists to make it interesting. I thought the author did a good job of going beyond expectations with the characters, creating depth to all three of the perspectives; both the "bully" and the "victim" were portrayed not just as those stereotypical roles. I also liked the inclusion of the Daria that was interesting addition. This is great quick pick, but with a lot of meat to make for excellent book club discussions.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fade to Black, December 19, 2005

A Kid's Review

Fade to Black
Alex Flinn

Crash, smash, crack! Someone has attacked Alex in his car en route to Duncan Donuts at 6:00 a.m. But who did it? A witness says she saw the suspect Clinton riding in the area, but was it really him? There's only one truth. Who will tell? HIV positive student, Alex Crusan was attacked one morning on his way to Duncan Donuts. A witness says she saw Clinton Cole riding his bike in the same area. Clinton has harassed Alex ever since the first day his family moved here, so it's easier to believe Clinton did it. However, Alex knew that his attacked was slim and Clinton is chubby, so it couldn't have been him. That morning Clinton went to the gas station to call his dad to wake him up. He went to the Gas-n-Sip instead of calling at home because he didn't want his mom to know. The real attacked was Davis McNeill, one of last year's seniors who played on the football team. Clinton has a letterman jacket just like Davis does, and that's why Alex thought his attacked could have been Clinton. This was an interesting book. It kept me waiting to see what happened next.
This book had some exciting twists. For most of the book, it seems like Clinton did attack Alex's car, but then at the end we find out that the attacker was slim and not chubby like Clinton. Even after we find out that Clinton didn't do anything, it still seems like Alex might tell the cops it was Clinton, just to get revenge on all the bad things he's done to him. Near the end of the book, there was still one question left unanswered. Why was Clinton at the Gas-n-Sip so early in the morning? Ever since his mother and father divorced, Clinton has called his dad every Monday morning to wake him up. His dad drinks too much on the weekends and says that Mondays are the hardest.
Clinton Cole was the most interesting character. He had three sides to him. He had a bully side, which he showed to Alex everyday, but he also had a softer side. He really cared about his dad and was sad that he'd moved away. Clinton was also sad about the fact that his dad was an alcoholic, but there was little he could do about that. Lastly, because his father wasn't at home, he had a protective side. Clinton felt that he was the man-of-the-house, and needed to protect his family. He threw the rock in the Crusan's window to scare them and to make sure that their daughter didn't play with his little sister because he didn't want her catching HIV.
This author has a creative way of writing. It felt like the reader was inside the minds of all the characters. Because Daria, the only witness, had Down Syndrome, Mrs. Flinn wrote in stanzas and the words were spaced out like how Daria might really talk. Each chapter was like a journal entry from each character. This helped the reader know who was talking. The author makes the reader sweat to find out what will happen next. Alex finally gets a chance to talk to Clinton one-on-one, while still in the hospital. He tells Clinton that he knows it wasn't him, but of course he hasn't told the police yet. In their meeting, the two reach an agreement. The Crusans can't afford to move anywhere else, so Clinton agrees to leave the family alone and not to harass Alex anymore.
Fade to Black was an interesting book. Even though Alex didn't have any friends throughout the whole book, he kept a cool head about it, until somebody crossed the line. In trying to figure out who his real attacked was, Alex was able to communicate with his mother and Clinton. Now both know how he feels and in some ways understand what he's going through.


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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a pleasant surprise, March 8, 2008

By	Christiane N. Hulet "Tiane" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Fade to Black (Paperback)

I was just browsing the shelves looking for something that might interest an adult but be easy enough for a 4th-grade reading level (I tutor adult basic education) and this book was a pleasant surprise. I ended up devouring the book, and my student enjoys reading it even though he's reluctant to start. Good characters and development, good amount of mystery. Disappointed with the ending, but overall very pleasant.