Trash by Andy Mulligan

Trash by Andy Mulligan
Young Adult Action Mystery
ISBN: 978-0-385-75214-5
232 pp.
Suitable 12+

Readers Annotation: Three teen boys find a bag in a dump site that leads them on a wild goose chase, with police and officials on their back.

Plot Summary: Rat, Gardo, and Raphael are all young teens living on a dump site in an unnamed third-world country. They make their living by picking through the garbage that lies next to a large city. One day, Raphael finds a bag full of mysterious paper work. It's so mysterious that the city police are offering a nice reward for its safe return. The boys, who have no money, home, education, or parents, know that the bag must lead them to lots of money. Therefore, they decide to follow the clues and see where it leads instead of turning it in. The boys learn that the corrupt senator/vice president has been stealing funds that were supposed to go towards education projects and that money has been stolen from him. Unfortunately, someone has tipped off the boys and the police and corrupt officials are hot on their trail in what becomes a race to the finish line of finding the money.

Critical Evaluation: It seems that this story was translated into English. And its interesting to note that its at times written in broken English. These boys have no education, after all, so the book stays true to its roots. The story is also told from the point of view of all three boys plus a few of their colleagues in helping them track down the clues for the money. The first sentence, sometimes even the first word, lets the reader know who's telling a particular part of the story and some chapters are much shorter than others. Because of multiple stories, there are multiple expositions that slow the story down from the rest: a fast-paced thriller. Each has their own style and voice in telling it and they all have the common theme that the government is corrupt and their people are living in poverty. Because of the lack of resources, these boys join together in bringing out the themes of the book: hope, determination, and triumph for the greater good. Even if they intend to steal it, it is justified via the evil government. The three boys are all well-developed and have a bond so strong that it may even suggest homosexual innuendo. Their bond increases through the twists and turns, heart-pounding action, and awful poverty in what eventually becomes a feel-good novel.

Author: Andy Mulligan was brought up in South London. He worked as a theater director for ten years before traveling to Asia, which influenced him to retrain as a teacher. Ribblestrop was Mulligan's first book published, and a humorous one at that as it won the Roald Dahl Funny Prize. Trash was his second novel published.

Trash is a very different type of book, a thriller. The dump site is loosely based on a place he visited whilst living in Manila but the characters and plot, he insists, are invented. He's currently taking a break from teaching working on his next book, Return to Ribblestrop, which is the second part of a projected trilogy. Mulligan now divides his time between London and Manila.

Booktalking Ideas:
1) Mystery and detective stories
2) Poverty
3) Political Corruption
4) Dump sites
5) Third world countries

Challenge Issues: Due to some detailed accounts of poverty, prisons, and some homosexual innuendo, this book has some challenge issues.

A librarian should state that the ALA mission is "to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all," which is embodied in the Library Bill of Rights, the Association's basic policy on free access to libraries and library materials. Librarians must act as an extension, making sure that they educate the general public, and themselves, about the nature and importance of intellectual freedom in libraries.

Why Included: The title caught my attention and I stuck with it.