Sky High

by Helen Falconer

Ferdia is a sixteen-year-old with problems. His estranged parents live at opposite ends of Abbey Road, each of them flirting with younger partners. Even so, being young, talented and beautiful in London has its compensations, and Ferdia finds an outlet for his frustrations in a fledgling punk band on the local estate. But when his relationship with a teacher twice his age threatens to scupper his schooling, his home life, and his place in the band, events take an unexpected turn for everyone . . .

Paperback

First published October 19, 2003

About the author

See https://www.helenfalconer.com/bio
"The Story of a Strange Marriage" is not my work, I don't know why it's there and I cannot delete it. (I've tried!)

Reviews

[Helen Falconer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sixteen year old Ferdia is caught between his separated parents and his dad's new, younger, live in lover. If he can survive them, his groundbreaking garage band just might take off. But Cassandra, his 30 something teacher, has more grown-up designs on him.
Funny, erotic and tragic by turns, soap opera gets street cred in Sky High.

[Alja]

got about halfway through, not gonna finish because it's super gross for me to read - the thing that bothered me the most is a manipulative relationship between a 16yo boy and his teacher who threatens him with suicide etc. if he tells anyone about their relationship - but there are also other unhealthy relationships all around. it's really well written though, has excellently timed humor and very relatable characters but yeah. power-imbalance relationships are really difficult for me to read.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

wow. I read this book a long time ago, like Freshman year in High School? Or it might have been the summer before I started High School. I don't remember but I remember this book. I loved reading about taboo subjects. Seeing the world through a different lens.
I need to find it again (I picked it p in my library at the time), I want to re-read it.

[Kate Kerrigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read primrose Hill, Falconer's first book, I moved on to this and found it EVEN BETTER. Laughed out loud and cried even louder. So evocative. Teenage boys are human - who knew?

[Zev · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate to say it, but this was a soap opera. It rammed in tons of serious issues while the writing style made it seem like nothing was happening. Rtc

[Jayne Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author has a clever way of coming at you with thought-provoking issues from behind an entertaining and often very funny story. In amongst this tale of marital breakup, alcoholism, rock music and unlikely heroes, there is a depiction of abusive relationships that don't always look the way you expect. The descriptions of the council estate with its 'shaved six year-olds' and scarily streetwise preschoolers were brilliant. Thought provoking without ever resorting to preaching: I loved this book.