Disconnected

by Shelley Hrdlitschka

In this exciting coming of age story, the lives of two boys, separated by several hundred miles, begin to converge and they learn valuable lessons about life and the connections carried from birth. Far inland, Tanner is concerned and frightened by a repeated dream of the sea, increasingly severe headaches and the rage that is beginning to control him. When a hockey trip to the coast presents itself, Tanner believes he will have a chance to solve the mystery of the dream and hopefully find some measure of peace. Meanwhile, Alex is stuck in a small coastal community, with a father he can barely stand and a burning desire to get out, even if that means leaving behind the one person he truly cares for. When he does make it to the big city Alex finds that his problems have only just begun. Faced with a difficult decision, he makes the wrong choice and the situation progresses rapidly from bad to worse.

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Shelley discovered her love for children’s literature while teaching school. This inspired her to write her own books, and she is now the author of eleven novels for teens, all published by Orca Book Publishers.

Shelley lives in North Vancouver, British Columbia. When she’s not reading or writing she can be found hiking, snowshoeing, practising yoga, Zumba dancing or hanging out with the grizzly bears at the Grouse Mountain Refuge for Endangered Wildlife.

Reviews

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tanner Bolton keeps having the same dream. But he has the strange feeling that it's really someone else's dream. Is that possible? In the dream, he's running away from someone into the ocean. But he has no idea who that someone is.

Alex is determined to get away from his abusive father. When he runs away to Vancouver, he tries to get a job but is too young. Cara, Alex's girlfriend, is worried about him but spots him getting off a bus and going into a rec center. But no, it's not Alex, it's Tanner. How could two people look so much alike, but not be related?

With Alex living on the streets, it's not long before he gets involved with the wrong crowd and it could end up costing Tanner his life.