Trash Can Nights

May 1, 2014

Gr 6-8-Danny, Jake, Hannah, and Dorothy are back in the sequel to Trash Can Days (Hyperion, 2013). Jake is dealing with the fallout after being stabbed at the end of the seventh grade. Dorothy is as unique as ever, writing and in love with Jake. Despite having his first strike and a summer at the Teen Center, Danny is still a member of the Raiders, a local gang, and fast assuming a leadership role. Hannah has started ninth grade at a new school and quickly realizes that she is no longer the queen bee. Over the course of the year, romances come and go and friendships shift. Danny has to contend with the realities of gang life, Dorothy has her heart broken, Jake has to figure out who he really is, and Hannah just wants revenge on the mean-girl bullies. Written in four alternating viewpoints, IM, Facebook status updates, plays, short stories, and school announcements, this realistic portrayal of a middle-school experience-a time of big changes and the beginnings of self-awareness. Reading the first book is not necessary, although it will add to the enjoyment of the sequel, which is sure to be popular.-Kefira Phillipe, Nichols Middle School, Evanston, IL

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2014
Being a teenager-at least in this book-is a lot like having multiple personality disorder.In the first chapter of the novel, Dorothy and Jake are typing the number 3407 into a calculator-it sort of spells "LOVE" upside down. By Chapter 20, Jake is TPing her house, and she's stalking him with a pair of binoculars. Every major character goes through a personality change. Danny is selling drugs for the Raiders in one chapter and fighting the gang members in another. After a while, MPD starts to feel like a metaphor for the entire book. Steinkellner is capable of writing nearly flawless sentences ("Darrell snickered like a female weasel" is both funny and apt), but there are whole chapters of shockingly bad writing. Often, they're bad on purpose. There are lengthy excerpts from songs and stories written by the students: " 'Never you mind that, my Handsome, ' Princess Dorothy said as she held Jacobim's head against her ample bosom...." Unfortunately, they are not so bad they're good. They're just bad. The real problem is that reading the book feels exactly like being in junior high, complete with awful poetry.Anyone who loved predecessor Trash Can Days (2013) will keep reading to find out what happens next, but other readers may find themselves looking for a story without quite so many mood swings. (Fiction. 12-18)

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