• Age: 12 to 18
• Grade: 8 to 12
• Reading age: 12 to 18

This could be Rob's big break or the night everything falls apart.

Rob wants to be a DJ—more than anything. And when his older brother Adam lands him a gig at a local all-ages club filling in for DJ Sly, Rob is ecstatic. When he finds out that the girl of his dreams will be there that first night, it seems like it is all coming together. But things fall apart—Mary Jane overdoses on Ecstasy provided by Adam, and DJ Sly turns Adam in and implicates Rob. The brothers end up on the run, evading the police while trying to force DJ Sly to tell the truth about the brothers' part in the death and Sly's own role in supplying drugs at the club.

This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for teen readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read!

Jeff Ross is an avid rider of boards. If you can stand sideways on something and propel yourself forward, backward and/or sideways, then sign him up. He spent his formative years standing sideways on a board in Thornbury, Ontario, and now stands sideways on boards in Ottawa, Ontario, where he teaches Scriptwriting and English at Algonquin College. More information can be found at www.jeffrossbooks.com.

Jeff Ross' profile page

• Commended, TriState Young Adult Book Review Committee Book of Note
• Commended, TriState YA Review Group Book of Note

"Features clean prose, believable characters, current cultural landmarks (especially in the tracks Rob spins), and a powerfully sharp, abrupt ending. Even seemingly innocent choices have consequences, and the path from piano lessons to prison is not as long as many teens think it is. Ross plots that particular course with transparency and without moralizing, offering a story that will resonate well beyond the targeted reluctant readership."

Booklist

"Readers will appreciate the ethical dilemma [Rob] has to struggle with...While short, and simply written, Coming Clean counts as extremely effective literature."

Resource Links

"Written in crisp prose, with believable characters and up-to-date references, this cross between a short story and short novel will appeal to teens...Presented in a straightforward style without preachiness...Highly recommended for teen readers and especially reluctant readers."

TriState Young Adult Book Review

"A quick paced story, compelling and real. One of the most noteworthy aspects of this book is that it's about making choices, and that, even if you've made a bad choice to start, you can change course and make good ones instead...Highly Recommended."

CM: Canadian Review of Materials