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Oct 26, 2015jazpur rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Ted Dawe has added considerably to the world-wide genre of boarding school stories for teenagers with ' Into the River'. Beautifully written, it is set in a fictional prestigious boys' boarding school in Auckland.It is boarding school life about all sorts of New Zealanders from very different backgrounds thrown together with only the school and its traditions to enable them to make friends, support each other and survive the experiences.It may be explicit and unpalatable but similar scenarios and events are in newspapers, on the TV news or available on line on a daily basis. It provides a reality check in the 21st century as to how teenagers behave and how they react to outside influences as they develop their value standards and stand up for what they believe in.It makes grim reading in parts but like all good stories, there is hope for the future.Book banning is never a good idea except that it has the effect of creating a demand and broadening the readership.