'The Carnegie reading group read Crossing the Line this week, a powerful verse novel exploring how teenagers can be swept into drug running across county lines.
Erik's life has been falling apart ever since his dad died. Homework and being good at school stop feeling important when you're the new man of the house. When Erik's bad behaviour attracts the wrong crowd, he's sucked into a terrifying new world of drug dealing, trap houses and violence. Making money feels good but Erik soon learns that a small favour can become a huge debt. And when his sisters' lives are threatened, Erik will have to cross one more line to save them.
While we felt this book was fully engaging, it wasn’t a pleasant read. Seeing the terrifying world that Erik has found himself embroiled in made it uncomfortable and disturbing. The group didn’t know much about County lines. We talked about the fact that often young people such as Erik who are vulnerable for various reasons can be targeted by drug gangs. They are tasked to move drugs or money from one part of the UK to another as they tend to stay under the radar of the law. People exploited in this way are often exposed to physical, mental and sexual abuse. We didn’t know how prevalent this problem actually is in the UK, so we found that the Parliament website shows that 'As of July 2023, the Children’s Commissioner for England believes that at least 27,000 children are County Lines gang members, with 4,000 in London alone.'
Crossing the Line scored 7/10. A gripping read if you want to learn a little more about this world. We felt this would be suitable for 13 + age range. Kayton Library have copies of this book if you would like to borrow it.'
