THE DEN

An exciting discovery exposes a friendship’s fault lines.

Since his mother left and his sister moved out, 13-year-old Marshall has lived with his emotionally volatile father, who has been addicted to painkillers ever since an injury when he worked as a roadie. To avoid him, Marshall spends as much time with his best friend, Rory, as possible. While out riding bikes on the first day of summer vacation, the boys find an underground bunker in the woods beyond their village, and Marshall decides to make it into a hideaway—his very own den where he can avoid his father. But when Rory wants to invite Sam and Trev, from whom Marshall has been estranged following a fight, Marshall turns on Rory, eventually enlisting another boy, Greg, to help him drive the other three away from the den. A fight ensues—Greg’s father owns a doggie day care, giving Greg access to large quantities of fresh dog poop to use as weapons—and the boys will have to decide whether to abandon their friendship or figure out how to reconcile. Designed to be dyslexia-friendly and appealing to reluctant readers, this short novel will appeal to those interested in the challenges and intricacies of teen friendships. Readers will likely understand Marshall’s anger and desire to act out, potentially developing empathy that will carry over to the real world. The main characters present white.

A compelling antihero for reluctant readers.