"Going Underground" by Susan Vaught

336 pages

Del has always been a good kid; he stayed out of trouble at school, obeyed his parents, and made good grades. All of that changed after one seemingly innocent incident when he was fourteen--an incident that made Del a social outcast and a felon. Now he's just trying to stay under the radar until he turns 18. He goes to school and his job at a graveyard--that's it. No social life, no dating. Then a mysterious new girl in town--one with plenty of baggage of her own--threatens the balance he's finally achieved.

This is a really interesting story. I felt a real connection with Del right away. He's someone who's paying big time for a mistake he made a long time ago, and I think a lot of us can relate to that on some level. I got a kick out of the secondary characters as well, especially Fred the parrot, who provides some comic relief. Del's situation got me thinking about some controversial issues, and Vaught does a great job of showing aspects of these issues that are often overlooked. The side story with Del's boss is moving as well.