Middle Row

by Sylvia Olsen

Things have changed since Raedawn and Vince started going out and the racial boundaries in town have slipped a bit. But when Dune, who never took sides, disappears, Raedawn is determined to find out where he has gone—or what happened to him. Fighting against ignorance and hate, they track Dune down and find he is in more trouble than they thought and that nothing is black and white.

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Fiction, Ebooks, Relationships

112 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Sylvia Olsen is a writer and public speaker living on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. She is the author of several picture books, a number of first readers and novels for young adults and one non fiction—so far. Most of all she is a mother and grandmother and aunty to dozens of nieces and nephews.

Sylvia has spent most of her life living in Tsartlip First Nation, where her children and grandchildren now live. Because Sylvia is non native and her children are of mixed heritage most of her stories are about the place—the time—the experience of where different sorts of people come together. That’s one of the things that interests her the most. It’s one of the things she knows the most about—and like many authors—Sylvia writes about what she knows.

Her newest books are: a historical fiction set in the Gulf Islands called Counting on Hope (Sono Nis, Fall 2009) and A Different Game (Orca Books, Spring 2010). She is currently working on an adult non fiction and dreaming up a new story for a Young Adult novel (making it up is her favourite part of the writing process).

Writing is Sylvia’s most important hobby. She also loves to draw, sew, knit and design clothing. Her ‘real’ job is in housing. Her career, her dedication and her passion are to make sure everyone has a healthy place to live.

Reviews

[Dalton Leary · Rating 2 out of 5]

“The Middle Row” was a short story about two high school kids named Vince and Raedawn who go looking for a fellow classmate named Dune that has gone missing after he did not show up at the start of the new school year. The book was decent in my opinion. It definitely kept my attention because it was full of mystery and you didn’t know what clues they were going to discover on their journey to find Dune. I also enjoyed how it went from the main plot of the story to switching to different characters’ point of views. It shows conflicts that Vince faces in his homelife with his parents separate from the actual story. The book is adventurous for the most part and it provides a decent storyline.

The thing I didn’t really like about the book was the fact that it started off really slow. There were several parts at the beginning of the story that I thought could have been way more exciting, but they weren’t. Even some of the parts that should’ve been considered the climax were actually not that entertaining. It had a decent storyline but there was nothing that really put you on the edge of your seat. I also felt like the author could have made the book longer and explained the background of the characters more.

Overall, I would say that the book was decent. If I had to rate it I would probably give it a 6/10. This is because it wasn’t entirely bad and it had a few exciting moments, but it is not something that I would read twice. I am not someone who really likes to sit down and take the time to read a book, so if I am going to read something it needs to be exciting, unique, and it needs to keep my attention. This book wasn’t all that bad and I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys mystery. However, with it being such a short story and not having the excitement that it should have, you might want to consider reading something else.

[Preston Mackey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a very good book and I like the way the story ends with a happy ending. The main characters are in school and notice that their friend Dune hasn't been there since the first day of school. The two main characters get the girls uncle and they go on a search and find somethings and go to the police after something crazy had just happened up on the hill where they went looking for him. The cops end up going up there later in the story and finding out that there was a big drug deal going on with marijuana. A couple guys were harvesting it and then they were going to split when the crops were done. They had Dune and his mother help captive in their shack for a little over a week. At the end there is a really big plot twist that has to do with Dune´s mother and the uncle because they had their time together back in the day and the uncle realizes that Dune is his son.

[Kimberley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick-read Orca book. I didn't realize I should read Yellow Line before this one, so that's a good thing to know - it introduces the characters, and Middle Row doesn't, very much.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

For sure a quick read but it took me half the book to get into it. Wasn’t a bummer but wasn’t my cup of tea.

[Julian Arroyo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a really great read. It really made me sit on the edge of my seat. It had a few cliff hangers that just made you want to read more. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in reading about adventures.

This is one of the only few books that I've read, but in my opinion, this book is one of the best books that I've read. This book is book is basically about a boy who's dating a girl, and one of their friends just disappears. The girl is on a mission to find this missing kid, but the boy is just in it, because of his girlfriend. They find racial barriers, but that doesn't stop their mission.

When I first started reading this book, I was really into it. That's really surprising, because most books don't catch my attention as easy as this book did. The author made this book interesting from the very beginning. That's why I got sucked right into it. The most intense parts in this book start right in the middle when they find the abandon shed in the hills.

I recommend this book because it's very adventurous and thrilling when everything starts to unravel. This book also has a lot of unexpected twists. The author really does the unexpected in towards the end that will leave the reader wanting more. This book is one of it's kind.

So, if you are looking for an exciting and thrilling book, this is the book for you. Once you start reading into the book, you will see all of their crazy adventures. This book really shows that friends will really go to the extent to help out a friend and family. This book is a must read!

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

The cover pic should be enough to interest most YA readers; however, adults, don't panic, the subject matter is quite tame.

Vince and Raedawn have been riding the same bus to school their entire lives. There is a social seating hierarchy involved in most bus riding, and theirs is no exception. There are the back seat riders - usually the cool kids, and the front seat riders - usually the less secure or nerdy type.

The middle rows can be easily ignored and that is just the problem when Dune suddenly stops riding the bus. There are only two people who even notice that the quiet loner has not gotten on the bus since the first day of school, and they also seem to be the only ones concerned.

Raedawn convinces Vince that something needs to be done. They start asking questions - of the bus driver, the school counselor, and then the administration. No one knows anything and the tendency is to brush the whole issue under the rug. Finally, Raedawn enlists the help of her Uncle Dave, and long-hidden secrets begin to emerge.

MIDDLE ROW provides a mystery that unfolds at a fast pace in this 100-page book. Readers will easily become intrigued by the missing Dune, as well as the personal stories connected to Vince, Raedawn, and Uncle Dave. An added criminal element also helps hold the attention of most readers.

[Dustin Kelley]

In the book Middle Row by Sylvia Olsen is about two people trying to find there friend Dune. "Dune hasn't been at school since the first say. This is the tenth." (Olsen 4) was showing the beginning on how Raedawn had thought her friend was missing.These two are Raedawn an Native American and Vince a White America. The town they live doesn't like mixed race couples which these two are. No one is thinking that this is an issue of dune being missing since they have never be able to contact him.
In this book I think the theme would be searching and discovery. I believe this is a theme of searching because the two main characters search for there friend yet they discover thing that they weren't looking for. The author delivered this these themes since you knew what the theme was in the first few pages. I learned in this book that don't give up and just be determined to do something, from how the main character Raedawn never gave up on her friend. I did fully understand the book since I don't think this is the first book in the series but I would recommend it to someone to read.
I would give this book a 3 I did like it because it if it was stretched out like some book it gets boring. I also think that it could give more background information if this isn't the second book and it's the first.

[Jessie Bear · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vince and Raedawn investigate what happened to a missing classmate in a racially divided town. Middle Row tries to tackle us/them mentalities as well as a separation of “the other” within a community. This is no easy feat to accomplish in about one hundred pages at a reading level of 2.4. As an Orca Soundings novel, this book is packaged as a high-action contemporary young adult mystery but reads in a simplistic and sometimes stilted manner. Olsen attempts to convey complicated relationships and feelings with a few simple words or carried by straightforward dialogue. Each character has various traits and relationships to others drawn out, but they are not fully developed or expanded upon due to length and syntax restrictions. Also, the text uses some Canadian dialect, which may initially throw off an American reading audience who may not be familiar with certain terms. This is a very specifically hi-lo styled novel and as such, is only recommended to the specific audience of reluctant readers ages twelve to fifteen with the targeted reading level.

[Skyler Morgan]

This was one of the best books I’ve Read so far. The reason is because it made sense to me, like I understood what was happening. I don’t get into many books but this one something clicked. It was all organized and never skipped around. If I could tell everyone as in my friends and Family, I would tell them about them book because I know my family and friends would get into this type of book. I rate this 100/100 just because I really got into it. I would recommend this book to everyone actually because things like what happened are true, and people do care about other people and want to help people do things. Some people don’t understand that when someone doesn’t show up for something, something might be wrong or they might just be hiding out or something. So I want to spread this book around so people know about it, and show that people care about things.

[Jazmin? · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very easy book, I finished it in one sitting.
This story is about a couple, Vince, who is caucasian, and Raedown who is Native North American, set out to find Dune who has been missing since the first day of school, which was 10 days ago.Dune is qiet, people don't know much about him. He has no records, only his hippy mother. Raedown is determined to find him. While searching they find out surprising things like who his father is and they realize that Dune and his mother are in more trouble than they think.

[Keila ♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vince and Raedawn started going out and they ride the same bus ever since. There is spots in the bus for cool kids and nerdy kids. But Vince and Raedawn are the only ones noticing one of the kids missing since the first day of school which is Dune. Raedawn and Vince tryed to help and ask questions to find Dune. No one knows anything but Uncle Dave. Ever since talking to Uncle Dave secrets are revealed. They found out Dune is in trouble. They finally found Dune at the end and got along well. My lesson is that you need to trust your instinst.

[Derek H · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just read a book called Middle Row. It was a quick to read, it only took a day to read. I could not put it down! It’s a mystery and an action all wrapped into one. There is the main character named Vince and his Native American girlfriend named Raedawn. They are in 12th grade and living in a resist town. They are worried about a kid at school named Dune; he hasn’t been to school in over two weeks. They go looking for him. Raedawn knows something is very wrong and needs to get to the bottom of it. I suggest it to any one that wants to kill a few hours reading.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting (and somewhat weird) book about a bicultural teenage dating relationship, a woman who lives off the grid in the forest with her mysterious son, a marijuana-growing enterprise, and racism towards First Nations folk in a Canadian town.

Another very interesting and baffling Orca Soundings books. I have to say, they have me turning the pages! The writing is clear, my students like them, and I think they live up to their high-interest reputation.

[Brian Cassidy]

this is a book about a couple who is looking for a boy who went to there school who they cannot find he has a wife who is a hippy chick with a biker boyfriend and they live in shacks out along the beach.

[Angel C · Rating 5 out of 5]

i like this book beacuse is about mystery because this girl and boy are trying to find this boy that miss a school and they when to find him and they faund ppl gronwing marijuana and the boy mom was working with them

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

I keep reading these orca soundings to get a better feel for which of my students I should be sending them to...this one I didn't like as much. it dealt a bit with racism white vs indian, and drugs; but it wasn't as satisfying with a positive message coming from it.

[Abby Cardinal · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was bored throughout the whole book.

[Amanda Skinner · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Middle Row' is a good read. It is not one of my favorites from the Orca Soundings series, but it is fast paced and interesting.

[Adrian]

i thought this book was pretty good it really made you think about how some people are really living

[Diego Martinez · Rating 3 out of 5]

middle row is about a couple from school go look for the friend with the help of the young native girls uncle.

vince is a young white boy in high school

[Brian Cassidy]

great book yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short book that is good for when you need to catch up on your reading challenge.

[Andrew]

Middle Row is a teenager novel more so then adult. It has some inappropriate language about women and to some children. The Middle Row tells a story about a kid named Dune which really keeps to himself for the most of the time and goes to school every day. His mother is a very good looking women but she is also a hippy.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this book because it is an adventure book and it is kind of a mystery book. I think it's kind of weird that they live in a racially divided town but I guess that's today's society. I like how Raedawn goes looking for his friend even though he's only been gone for a little while. That's true friendship to me but Raedawn doesn't know how deep Dune is into the bad stuff. I think it's awesome that he would go through all that pain and trouble to help his friend out. The best part is that they both came out okay and alive.

[Ben Raymond · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book “Middle Row” by Sylvia Olsen is a story about a young man, nicknamed Stretch, and his girlfriend Raedawn go on a search for their “friend” Dune, a boy from school with little to no social life, but a dedicated student who hasn’t been attending school. Which raises the question to them, why isn’t Dune at school if he’s such a good student. Stretch is a young white man, who grew up in a racist household, specifically his father. He does not have those views and dates a Raedawn, an Indian girl who lives in the reserve.
With constant conflict between Stretch’s family, them not wanting him to have anything to do with Raedawn he’s forced to go against his parents to search for Dune, with the help of Raedawns family. They run into all kinds of trouble, burnt down houses, constant threats to both of them by Stretch's family, and a thrilling gun chase. No matter what happened they did not give up hope for Dune, well at least Raedawn didn’t, as Stretch doesn’t care about Dune while the search occurs. Only not wanting to give up because of how much work they’ve put in.
The book is honestly one you’re going to want to read, being extremely entertaining and showing that people, white, Indian, male or female don’t have to go along with stereotypes. At first, it seems as if the author is playing along with stereotypes, almost seeming racist, but in the end, you learn the characters aren’t who you thought they were. That everyone, including the most unlikely, come together at the end.