Dead Ends by Erin Jade Lange

Dead Ends is an inspirational YA book. Dane is a bully, and is one suspension away from being expelled. Everyone's afraid of him, except for Billy, his new next door neighbor. While he drives Dane insane, Dane has a rule not to hurt girls or people with disabilities. Billy mistakes his ignorance for friendship, and ends up dragging Dane into helping him find his dad through a series of puzzles.

It was hard to like Dane, especially in the beginning, but after awhile he grew on me. Yes, he's a bully, but he is also a human who makes mistakes. I personally love books that feature a narrator who is troubled because I get to see their internal dialogue and find out why. I love books that tackle stereotypes such as this one, because I get to see what's going on in their life, why they act a certain way because we can't see that just by looking at someone in real life. Billy kept asking Dane the same question over and over throughout the book: "Why do people hit?"

Dane thought he was doing the right thing, protecting others and hurting people who "deserved it". He didn't know that he was being a bully- and that's the most insightful part of this book. Nobody is hopeless, especially not a bully. They can learn to change their ways and be a better person. There's potential in everyone that schools and peers often miss. think that when people picture a bully, they see a monster, a tyrant, or someone to always run away from- not a human who doesn't know any better and needs help but is too scared to admit it. Most, unfortunately including myself, don't stop to ask why. Dead Ends teaches readers that everybody needs a friend.

I highly recommend this book!

Title: Dead Ends
Author: Erin Jade Lange

Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 336

Series: No
Rating: 5 Stars
Goodreads