Riding the Great White

An excellent, compelling read. Being a paperback original, its price is entirely justified but may prohibit purchase by many schools. Gin and her friends formed Thakers, their own exclusive 'gang' which met during the school summer holidays. The book follows the dissolution of the group through the traumas experienced by its individual members. Central to the story is the relationship between Gin and Gav, ambivalent in nature, powerfully destructive, deeply felt. This is a novel about love and its effects on the young, and the balance of tensions within the group is carefully and creatively examined. It raises and answers questions, warns but also advocates risk in order to achieve the ultimate goal. The Great White is a childhood excitement - a waterslide - it is also the headlong, reckless, exhilarating charge into first love.