Dare You

by Sue Lawson

black dog books. Australian, Young Adult. Paperback, rrp $18.99

Guest Reviewer Jo Burnell

Friends Forever: that’s what the ‘happily-ever-after’ stories say. That nothing will change.

Dare You defies the fairy tales. Those who are tired of feel-good stories will be drawn into a very different world. People do change as they grow: especially teenagers.

Ruby, Kaden and Sas have been inseparable since early school years, but in the middle of secondary school things start to change. For a start, Kaden can’t stop thinking about Sas; her hair, her body, the way she moves. Will he dare to explore? What would this mean for Ruby? Can you have a trio when two share things that three can’t?

Everyone wants to stick together and stay the same, but that can hurt more than moving on. Dare You portrays the pain of friendships tearing. Can a dare keep friends from falling apart or does it push them further away? Why do we stay friends? Is it just because? Does there need to be a better reason?

Dare You is not for the faint hearted. Some 15 and 16 years olds might find the dilemmas portrayed uncomfortably close to the truth. Some danger can’t be avoided when it lives in your house, but risky decisions lead to irreversible outcomes. There is little light relief between the pages of Dare You, but life can be like that.
Dare You is a perfect read for 11 to 14 year olds who are on the cusp of their own life changes.

http://www.suelawson.com.au/