Trash by Andy Mulligan

Trash by Andy Mulligan transports you to an unknown city in Latin America, deep in the heart of political turmoil. Although none of the students in my class have ever lived a glamour lifestyle, the simple blessings we have in our every day life were made glaringly clear after reading the first chapter and being introduced to the main characters and their home built on a dumpsite. Raphael, Gardo and Rat’s daily lifestyle includes sifting through trash in hopes of finding something worth money that can help their family buy food. They encounter a multitude of challenges after finding a mysterious item in the trash that the police are eager to recover. What follows is a fast paced, engaging story involving stolen money, brutal violence, police and government corruption, as well as many more obstacles that arise as the boys try to solve the mystery. Although I would highly recommend this book, it is not light reading. There are many heavy topics that surface; I was constantly uncomfortable while reading the book, imagining the different scenarios these young boys were thrust into in order to survive.

The School Library Journal states, “Reminiscent of Slumdog Millionaire, this unique adventure seamlessly incorporates secret codes, breathless getaways, corrupt bureaucrats, and a subtle moral about kids growing up in a town made of trash but deserving much better.” Trash is recommended for ages twelve to fifteen, but I think that many adults would have an eye opening experience reading this account of life in a Third World country. All too often we turn a blind eye to the injustices that are happening in the world. This novel challenges you not to look away, not to take for granted what you have in your life. Another novel written by Andy Mulligan is Return to Ribblestrop. A compelling quote from a letter in the novel is “I am writing this knowing that if it is in another man’s hands, then I am dead or soon to die. I took this money hoping that I would be the one to return it where it belongs, and I had my schemes for doing that. But I write as a dead man, I think: for they will not take me and let me live.” Who wrote this letter? Read this novel to discover the answer to that and many other questions brought about in the first chapter.

Recommended by Ms. Steffen