THE END OF THE LINE by Angela Cerrito

Life for Robbie was fairly normal when he met Ryan.  Having a new student at Red Brick Elementary wasn't that unusual, but Ryan was.  That first day Robbie watched as the new kid spent the day crouched under his desk, and then for some reason, it was Robbie who finally made friends with him.

The first time Ryan came to Robbie's house he stayed for dinner.  Robbie watched in awe as Ryan grabbed the food in his hands and shoved it in his mouth.  He ate and ate like he had never eaten before.  It didn't take long for Ryan to become a part of the routine at Robbie's house.  He came over every day after school and usually stayed through supper.  He loved the kids in Robbie's mother's daycare and entertained them like no one else could.  He even began to spend the night.

But Ryan was weird, and Robbie didn't always like sharing his mom and dad and his Uncle Grant.  As time passed, the boys often argued.  Robbie learned more about Ryan, including that his mother was in a hospital somewhere, that his father had been shot, and that he lived with his grandparents in what he had always considered to be the haunted house a few streets over.  When Ryan started asking Robbie to sneak out at night and visit the nearby construction site, Robbie wasn't sure he wanted to get involved.

Author Angela Cerrito presents her story about Robbie and Ryan in a unique style.  Readers learn about the boys through alternating chapters.  In chapters titled "River Falls" readers hear about the day to day activities of the boys and their families.  In chapters titled "Great Oaks School Prison" Robbie slowly reveals his own story and why he murdered Ryan.  Cerrito cleverly unveils the real story in tempting bits and pieces that keep the reader hooked from page one until the very end.