• Age: 14 to 18
• Grade: 9 to 12
• Reading age: 7 to 10

Cody and his friends call it street cleaning--four of them beating up on one guy they don't like the looks of. Cody partakes in the action, even though he'd rather be taking out his aggression on his drum kit. A drummer without a band is one lost dude, so Cody soon hooks up with Kelsey and guitar playing Alex.
Cody manages to keep his destructive tendencies under wraps long enough for the band to start to have a following. But before success comes knocking, Cody's old friends show up with a score to settle. Cody needs to decide whether the time is right to come clean about his past and face the consequences.
Lesley Choyce has revised and updated his 1994 Ann Connor Brimer Award winning novel published under the title Good Idea Gone Bad. His story of teens looking for trouble is as fresh today as it
was when it was first published.

No one has a clearer view of Atlantic Canada's literary endeavours over the past twenty years than Lesley Choyce. He is the founder of the literary journal Pottersfield Portfolio, and the publisher of Pottersfield Press. He has edited several fiction anthologies and has been the in-house editor of many books from Pottersfield Press including Making Waves, a collection of stories by emerging authors from Atlantic Canada. He is the author of more than fifty books in genres ranging from poetry and essays to autobiography, history and fiction for adults, young adults, and children. Among his recent books are the novels The Republic of Nothing, World Enough, and Cold Clear Morning, and the story collection Dance the Rocks Ashore. Choyce is the writer, host, and co-producer of the popular literary show television program, Off the Page with Lesley Choyce, which is broadcast across the country on Vision TV. He also teaches in the English department of Dalhousie University in Halifax and is leader of the rock band The Surf Poets.

Lesley Choyce's profile page

• Commended, One of the Year's Best for 2011 - Resource Links

"Cody's character is well-developed, and the way he changes and matures over the course of the novel is believable. Gone Bad has a very strong anti-violence message, but the engaging plot and Cody's characterization keep the novel from seeming didactic.
...The novel is fast paced and full of action and tense moments. It is written in simple language that makes it ideal for students who read below grade level or are learning English as a second language.
... a recommended purchase for public and school libraries."

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

" Gone Bad joins the other 35 books in the Lorimer SideStreets Series which bring hard-hitting issues to teen readers in effective but accessible prose. The newest editions are now available in e-book format as well. I will certainly be recommending these titles to students looking for easy reads with an edge."

Resource Links

"The story's anti-bullying message is well integrated into the plot, and Cody's gritty past is honestly portrayed."

The Horn Book Guide