Flinn, A. (2005). Fade to black. New York, New York: HarperCollins.

Summary: The three main characters in this book are Alex, Daria, and Clinton. Alex is an HIV positive teen that has moved to a small town in Florida. He must deal with being an outcast in school. Daria is a girl with Down Syndrome that has a crush on Alex. She follows him to just to be near him, and witnesses someone beat Alex brutally. Clinton is a fellow classmate that has serious reservations about being in the same classroom with Alex. He is a ringleader that encourages others to stay away from Alex. Daria tells police that someone in a letter jacket is the person who beat Alex. Is it Clinton?
Rationale for Selection: One thing that attracted me to this book was that it was set in Florida. Right away my students could make a personal connection. I have also had several students read some of Flinn’s other books—in particular, Breathing Underwater. They have all raved about this book—boys and girls alike. My students are going to start reading out loud to the Life Skills class in our school. I loved that this book told part of the story through Daria’s point of view. I want my students to realize that every person is human and has feelings—even if they are different from you.
Reader Response: I really enjoyed this book and liked how each main character told their story from their point of view. Alex Flinn really developed complex characters. Each of them had their own flaws, which made this story very realistic and believable.
Genre and Themes: This was a fictional book that really dealt with being an outcast of society. You could feel each character’s pain about feeling alone. It had a heavy emphasis on AIDS, Down Syndrome, divorce, and alcoholism.
Teacher Thinking Notes: This would be a great classroom shared reading. I would like to read it out loud next year before the kids start reading to the Life Skills classroom. Many of the students are apprehensive about going into a classroom that is not “normal” to them. They are a little scared about venturing out of their comfort zone. I think Daria’s point of view could perhaps put them at ease.