"Mog" ( nickname from school ) reminisces about his school days when he and his mates tried to be cool but weren't. This is essentially the story of one huge loser called Duffy who tries to squeeze his way in-between Mog and the only true cool kid in the group Chris and the consequences of this. Does Mog regret his actions, all these years hence? ( )

The Fall is a short, yet wonderful, book - one that leaves you questions unanswered at the end, but they're *good* questions.

Is the Fall a fall from childhood? A fall from innocence? A fall away from childhood friends as we all grow older? It's ultimately up to the reader to decide.

This book is written for "reluctant readers": older teens who may read below grade level, or who simply don't like to read. The language used is easy to understand, yet it doesn't read as if you're being talked down to. The descriptions are vivid; you can see the beck with its scummy water, or Duffy fading into a near-ghost.

Readers can also relate to events that happen: bullies who torment other kids just for being different, the cliques that naturally form in school and how resistant they can be to new members, the stupid fun you have with friends...

Highly recommend for older teens. ( )

Over the last five years or so Anthony McGowan has been making a name for himself: his books for teenagers are some of the very best around right now. Henry Tumour (or Jack Tumor as it’s known in the US) and The Knife That Killed Me are both particularly good (and, for younger readers, Einstein’s Underpants is brilliant too). But if you’re looking for a first taste of Anthony McGowan’s writing, The Fall (a Barrington Stoke book) is a great place to start.
The story in The Fall captures one of the defining moments in anyone’s life as they grow up: the point where friends thrown together by circumstance (here, school) begin to look at each other more clearly and decide whether they really like each other enough to stay friends. The choices Mog makes in The Fall change him forever.
As ever, McGowan pinpoints the minutiae of ugliness and beauty, desperation, hope and darkness that make up his characters’ emotional lives. The Fall is a small and perfect gem. It might even be the best thing this excellent author has written yet. ( )