Falling

by Doug Wilhelm

Everyone expected fifteen-year-old Matt Shaw to be Jeffords Junior High's star basketball player. But Matt never went out for the team. He won't even touch a ball anymore, and he hardly talks to anyone. No one understands why he's changed, but Matt knows that it's his "golden child" older brother who's really been doing all the changing. Matt can't imagine what would happen to his family if word got out about Neal's drug habit and the strung-out strangers he's seen coming and going from the house when their parents aren't home. Matt can't tell anyone what he knows - not his parents, not the police detective who refuses to leave him alone, not even Katie, the one girl he's ever really had feelings for. But even Matt has to wonder eventually if he's holding on to someone he may already have lost.
With his unparalleled ear for teen dialogue and emotions, Doug Wilhelm's new novel is a captivating look at falling apart, falling in love, and all the falling in between.

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Fiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published March 20, 2007

About the author

Doug Wilhelm is the author of 17 books for young readers, including Street of Storytellers, a multi-award winning novel for YA and adult readers:

• Gold medal, YA fiction, 2020 Independent Press Awards
• Silver medal, teen fiction, 2020 Benjamin Franklin Awards
• Winner, young adult books, 2019 Independent Publishers of New England Book Awards
• Kirkus Reviews Indie Editors Choice

Doug's previous books include The Revealers, a novel about bullying that has been the focus of reading-and-discussion projects in over 1,000 U.S. middle schools, and True Shoes, the Revealers sequel on cyberbullying. Doug began writing for young people with the legendary Choose Your Own Adventure series, for which he has written 10 books. When he visits schools to talk about his books, kids notice that he is six feet ten inches tall!

http://www.dougwilhelm.com/
http://us.macmillan.com/author/dougwi...

Reviews

[Saiema Marium · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book “Falling” by Doug Wilhelm involves a fifteen-year-old girl named, Katie who lives with her single mother and gets lectured every day about making the right decision in life. Katie also has best friends, with whom she has been friends for ages and who are always looking out for her. Everything was fine in Katie’s life until she meets a boy named, Matt Shaw. Matt comes from a very privileged family and used to be a basketball star, but suddenly he stopped playing without any explanation to anyone. Matt isolate himself from everyone is school and as a result became a mystery figure to everyone. He is harboring a secret in his heart to protect his older brother; he thinks he can’t trust anyone. Katie senses that Matt’s life is falling apart and believes that she can mend him with her love. The story progresses, as Matt and Katie’s relationship blooms and Matt finally learns to trust.
The one major theme in this book is that keeping secrets is never a good idea and you should always trust someone. Throughout the book we see Matt thinking “it's just me against the world." This quote demonstrates how Matt feels, he feels that he is alone in this world and everybody is against him. Matt always thinks that he has to fight the whole world to protect his older brother’s secret; he thinks he can’t trust anyone. Even though Matt has good intention, by not trusting anyone and keeping the secret he ends up hurting the people he cares about the most.
This book is full of twists and turns that kept me engaged from the very beginning. The main characters of this book are very relatable to me because they demonstrate emotions that are very similar to mine. I recommend this book to everyone because this book certainly makes people think about life and the importance of trust. I gave this book a 4 out of 5 stars because even though the plot and the characters of the book are everything I was looking for I wish the ending was more clear and prolonged.

[Precious T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone wondered how a kid like Matt Shaw turned into a different person. He was a great basketball player now he doesn't want to play anymore - he changed. But why? No one knows. Until an unknown girl from a chat room came into his life. Little does he know that this girl is someone near him. I guess destiny played a big role in this! But can she bring him back to the old Matt? or is she just another girl that'll mess up his life? You'll see. I believe that this book shows how much love can impact everyone. It can make you or break you. It can be the best thing in the world but it can also be the worst. As Doug Wilhelm said "When love rips a hole in you, sometimes you do crazy things." Here, he shows how love can change a person -how it can impact people's lives. Love can make you do things that you didn't expect you can do. Love can.
I would 98.9% recommend this to someone, because it is a really great story (a lot of really cute moments) I'm just not satisfied with the whole story, because it felt like everything went so quickly (I felt like the whole story happened in a span of less than 5 days) but, overall really amazing book. Worth reading.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book for about the first 240 pages. I really liked Matt and Katie as characters, and they had good chemistry together – this isn’t a relationship that made you roll your eyes and think, "Yeah right, like he'd ever look at her." They live in a world that feels real and believable and lived-in, and the revelations of what's happened to Matt's brother, while coming as no surprise, still resonate.

And then we get to the ending. Where everything that had been built up over the whole book suddenly gets tossed out the window in favor of a Hollywood-style ending. And one that wouldn't even be possible except that Matt and Katie, who up until then have been pretty smart kids, suddenly turn into complete imbeciles. It was a big letdown for me.

This is a five-star book with a one-star ending, so I'll split the difference and give it three stars.

[Olivia · Rating 2 out of 5]

We read this in my middle school. I usually don’t rate books so low but I had to on this one. The writing was bad, and the dialogue was weird. I have never heard a teenager say “Definitely chillin.’” I also don’t like that what Neal did to Katie was just kind of... ignored. It wasn’t even mentioned, really, in the last chapter. He’s much older than her, plus she said no and was unconscious.

[Arisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 stars but im a nice person lol. did not enjoy the story nor the writing

[Naydeli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the book and it was amazing but I hated the ending.

[angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this 4 years ago and I loved it. It may be different now, but from memory I would give this book a 3.5/5

[Ayaan]

,

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Story of falling in love while trying to keep a family secret - and what happens when the two collide

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book Falling, by Doug Wilhelm is an amazing book! It is a fictional teen book. It involves a bit of romance. My mom brought me home the book one day and told me the author signed it since he was at my younger brother’s school that day. I personally love the teen romance novels so she knew this would be right up my alley. It involves a fifteen year old girl named Katie, who has her three best friends Sam, Hope, and Tamra. Her and her friends tell each other everything. Katie becomes very intrigued by a boy she sees walking around with his headphones on blast non-stop, named Matt Shaw. He used to be the star on the basketball team and suddenly won’t touch a ball. She decides to talk to him one day and they ended up going on a walk, because that’s all Matt enjoys doing now days. Matt feels like it is him against the world, showing a man vs. society conflict throughout the story. He feels he can’t trust anybody. Matt will do whatever it takes to protect his older brother. Katie will do whatever it takes to have Matt trust her. The author sends out a few very good messages in the story. Everyone has someone to trust in the world. Through the story Matt wants to tell somebody so badly the one secret he hides from everyone, but then is scared he can’t trust anyone in the world. By not trusting people he ends up hurting others.
Doug Wilhelm’s writing style ends with such a hook at the end of each chapter I couldn’t put the book down. Doug tells the story throughout the book, but at times you see what is going on in both Matt and Katie’s heads. As Katie’s heart jumped, I too felt my heart jump. Or as Matt thinks things through so thoroughly, I also would think with him. Doug Wilhelm creates so many allusions through the book that I felt like I was right there in Rutland, Vermont with the characters. He gives each character a personality that you would see in a lot of people today. Katie loves to ask questions, and that’s how most people are, always wanting to know things. Doug especially knew how to create the high school drama. It’s almost as if a teen wrote the entire book.
I highly recommend this book to anyone in their teens or older. Being younger than thirteen this book can be confusing. The author intended it to be for teens. If you enjoy the love stories that keep you hanging then this would be the book. This story diffidently makes you think more cautiously about life and how to know who to trust and those who just want the gossip. This is not a book where the things that occur in the story, could never happen in real life. This book is very realistic and the events that happen in the story could actually happen. Overall this is a fantastic book!

[Jessica RiffeKincaid · Rating 5 out of 5]

15 Year old, Matt walks and listens to his music, only to drown out the noises of the world around him. He goes to school and as soon as he is out, he walks and listens to his muisc lost in his own universe. Why does he do this? No one knows. He was a famous basketball player before high school and then his freshman year he just stopped playing. All of his fans, after being ignored, just quit asking him why he did'nt want to play ball anymore. He trusted no one. Until, one fateful night while in an online chat room he met a girl and they became friends. And after meeting online they realized they were from the same neighborhood as well as in the same school and grade. They would meet after school and walk and talk about anything and everything, except why he became so enclosed to everyone else around him. And then he trusts her with his story and answer why and so does his friend that lives near him who then tells one of her friends, and then so on and so forth the storm builds. He tells her about how him and his older brother used to be very close, playing and practicing basketball together, attending their games when they were playing, sharing their hopes and dreams of going pro, until his brother does'nt make his dreams and any other offers from the other colleges were'nt good enough for him. They stop talking. And his brother turns to escape into his own other world. A world that consists of dishonesty, fear, violence, the wrong people, and most important of all...death. In a fit of anger, of having his story told without permission, Matt takes his anger out verbally on his new girlfriend that he was falling in love with, and instead of hearing her side of the story he jumps to conclusions. Kate, being heartbroke and devastated runs off to find Matt and explain and try to make him understand how much she cares about him and how she would never destroy the trust she built with him. At his home instead of Matt, she finds his brother and that is when the storm erupts. Matt finds out the truth and finds his Kate in his brothers room, unconscious and his brother about to commit a crime of forceable rape. He stops him and that is when the whole town discovers his secret and why he was trying to protect his family from the truth that his brother was addicted to Heroin and was now dealing the drug as well. The authorities come and provide the help that his needed for his brother and now he can begin rebuilding his family again. This book was a wonderful story told about the struggle of a family member that is stuck in the middle of a current growing addiction problem in the world today.

[bjneary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I couldn't put this book down. Matt Shaw is a 15 year old teen whose life is out of control and the way he controls it is by walking and listening to his ipod. He walks so he doesn't have to go home and deal with his older brother Neal's increasing drug use. Matt won't talk to anyone because he feels like he would betray his brother and his parents, who are never home, by the way---so they are clueless! As he falls further into emotional chaos, he meets Katie online in a chat room. Katie realizes who Matt is by his references to walking and how he didn't go out for the basketball team. They meet in school and are having a great relationship walking and talking, as long as Katie doesn't ask any questions about Matt's family. They both fall hard for each other but Neal's druggie friends steal from Matt's family and the police are called in about the thefts. Neal tells his parents and the police that Matt has changed and infers that Matt is disturbed enough to be stealing from his own family. Once again, Matt doesn't say a word, but he does proclaim his own innocence. When Matt explodes in school and curses out a teacher, the police are brought in again and this time, the cop tells Matt that they are aware of increased "traffic" at his house and he is urged to tell the truth. Matt tells Katie and swears her to silence. Matt's next door neighbor confides in one of Katie's friends and by the next day, it is all over the school about Neal dealing drugs. Matt assumes it is Katie and breaks up with her and refuses to hear anything she has to say. Katie is taken home and grounded but sneaks out to try to talk to Matt and winds up at his house. Neal gives drugs to Katie and begins assualting her---Matt rescues her and the story ends with him talking to the police about how he should have spoken up and listened and none of this would have happened.
I learned that Matt just didn't know what to do when his brother became drug addicted. He reacted by acting strangely himself and turning away from his friends and family. I also learned that teens make bad decisions and stick with them, keeping secrets, lying, etc. until things get totally out of control. Katie could have died! Matt- Even if it hurts, HONESTY is best.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possible triggers of this book: Drug use, r@pe mentioned, r@pe, and neglectful parents. The book was a bit slow (but still interesting) right up until the last few chapters. A lot goes on in this book.
The ending really surprised me as did the series of events that happened. It really hit close to home for me, I guess not only because it’s set in the town I live in, but also because what one of the main characters, Katie, went through at the end of the book was a similar experience to what I went through not too long ago. I wonder if all the events in the book actually happened to someone, because if they did I’d like to give that person a hug. It was a good book, it talked about a lot of heavy topics and it triggered me at times but overall I liked it. 1000/10

[Madison · Rating 2 out of 5]

-What is your opinion of the book and why?
I like the plot of the story. At the beginning of the book, I enjoyed the setting and third-person omnisent point of view. These qualities made the novel more enjoyable. Toward the climax of the book, however, the story became a little to descriptive (if you know what I mean). I also thought the author should’ve written another chapter or two to conclude the ending of the story. The resolution seemed to be cut off too early.

-How can you currently relate the book to your life?
I think the plot was very realistic. This made it easier to understand the feelings of the characters. There are many teenagers with problems that are very similar to problems that teenagers have in real life. I see many people around me with the same problems described in the book such as family issues, crushes, drugs, and fights between friends.

-Would(n’t) you recommend this book to your friends and why?
I would absolutely not recommend this book to my friends or anyone else. At the beginning, this book was amazing, but toward the middle of the tale events escalated quickly. I didn’t like how the situations that happened were so horrific and realistic at the same time. My feelings toward this book are hard to describe, but they are definitely negative.

-Discuss two or more literary elements.
Dramatic irony appeared in this book. It was ironic that the main character assumed someone did something really bad, but in reality, the reader really knows what happened. Similies also occurred. One example is “I don’t know what color they were, but they were a blue as deep as the sea.” Many occurrences of alliteration appeared. This was because there were many quotes of lyrics.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

School Library Journal
Gr 9 Up
Matt Shaw was the star basketball player on his junior high team in Rutland, VT, so everyone is surprised when he doesn't try out for the high school team. During his freshman year, he becomes withdrawn and walks the streets listening to his iPod and dreading the thought of going home because of the frightening change in his older brother. Neal, a former basketball star, didn't receive a scholarship, so he turned to heroin. Matt is fearful of his family's reputation if word gets out. He keeps Neal's secret from his parents, a police detective, and Katie, the only girl he has ever had feelings for, and whose narrative alternates with Matt's. Katie reluctantly tries to get him to open up. Matt eventually tells her what is wrong, and this revelation spirals into a devastating turn of events, which in the end resolves itself in an unsatisfying way. Matt's dilemma is real and heartfelt, and the dialogue is on target. However, it seems unrealistic that Matt's parents have no clue as to how their older son spends his time, and never seem to question what he is doing or what his plans are even as he deals drugs out of their suburban home. At one point, they even think that Matt is the one with problems. While it's true that many parents are in denial or unaware of their children's activities, the situation as developed here just isn't believable.-Shannon Seglin, Chantilly Regional Library, Fairfax County, VA

[Stephanie351 · Rating 5 out of 5]

My book is realistic fiction. Katie is a teenage girl who is popular in school and always gets good grades. Her and her best friends tell each other everything. But when a secretive boy comes into the picture she pulls away. Matt is a troubled teenaged boy who had so much potential in basketball because that was what he and his brother did together. When his brother, Neal, didn’t get a scholarship he stayed home for the first semester and got into drugs. That destroyed their relationship and left Matt in a confused state. They both go to Jeffords Junior high school and they live in Rutland VT. It is a small town with a Stewart’s right up the street from the school. This book took place in ****. They go to a typical school with typical kids and typical teachers. What really hooked me was when they made out on a rock at the top of a hill in the woods. Everyday Matt would come home to a high brother that hides in his room all day. One big conflict is when Neal gave some drugs to Matt’s girlfriend and locked them in his room. Then Matt called the police and get Neal busted and sent to rehab. What I really liked about this book is the way that Katie helped Matt get through his problems and give him more confidence. I hated how they broke up halfway through and never really got back together, and how the book ended before they could love each other. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone, but mainly to someone who likes teenage romance and drama.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed by Jennifer Rummel for TeensReadToo.com

Matt has a huge secret that causes all kinds of problems in his life.

Once the star basketball player in a small city that lives for sports, he now refuses to go out for the team. Instead, he keeps to himself and creates a barrier between himself and the rest of the world. He avoids going home after school so he won't have to deal with his older brother and his "friends."

Neal used to be the basketball star, but now he spends his days locked in his room doing drugs. Matt aimlessly walks around town after school until his clueless parents come home.

No one asks Matt to explain, until he meets a girl online. Katie goes to his school and has a passion for asking questions. Katie's hit upon something in Matt.

Soon the two of them are hanging out after school. Katie's friends balk at the idea of them as a couple. No one knows the reason behind Matt's changes, so they all assume that he's in trouble. Now Katie's asking questions, and it's only a matter of time until the truth tumbles out.

FALLING asks the question of how far would you go to protect someone you love? There also comes a time when everyone must make the decision at least once in their life: yes or no to drugs? Katie and Matt wrestle realistically with this issue throughout the book.

[Reginaolguin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The novel "Falling" by Doug Wilhelm is a fictional romance novel with a bit of suspence. I chose this book because a classmate of mine did a great job giving an oral report and the book caught my interest. The protagonists in this novel are Matt Shaw and Katie. Three important supporting characters are Sam, Hope, and Tamra. Being Katies bestfriends, they tell eacheother everything. Matt was expected to be an All-Star on his Junior High basketball team, but he never ended up trying out, nor did he touch a ball through out the whole time Katie knew him. Matt feels as if he is alone and everyone is against him. Therefore the central conflict through out the novel is man v.s society. Katie desperatly wanted to know what happend to Matt that caused him to not be the boy everyone expected him to be. She tries to earn his trust while Matt is only concerned about protecting his older brother. The theme that I got out of this book was everyone need a helping hand sometime in their life. To me, a symbol I found was basketball. It represents Matt's past that he left behind. The way Doug Wilhelm writes this story makes you want to open up the book everytime you have a chance to do so. I think this is a good teen romance book esspecially if you like dark, exciting love stories. i recommend this book to anyone because it't not a chick book nor a guy's book it's for anyone.

[Kenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review
Falling by Doug Wilhelm

Star basketball player, or drug lord? That is the question Matt Shaw keeps asking himself throughout the whole entire novel. I couldn’t put it down. It made me think about the things in life that makes us who we are. This book shows two kids with different problems who find hope in each other and for once again the feel like the world isn’t a gray place where you just sit around on and do nothing. They both feel like they have a meaning in the life they are living.

Matt is one of the best basketball players in his hometown, But all of a sudden he doesn’t go out for the freshman basketball team. People keep asking him and wondering why he wouldn’t play. Matt just walks and listens to his music because he can’t trust anyone or anything else. Untill Katie came along.
Katie is an outgoing and bright girl who starts getting a little curious about Matt and why he really isn’t playing basketball. She starts walking with him everyday and he wont open up to her until he is about to explode.
He tells her the secret that could ruin his family, but little does matt know that the secret has already gotten out.

[Karen Ball · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doug Wilhelm will be visiting us next month, so check out The Revealers if you haven't read it (one of my all-time favorites). Falling is the story of Matt Shaw, who up until this year was the star of every basketball team he'd ever been on. But this year, he refused to try out. He refuses to even touch a basketball. And no one knows why -- he has withdrawn from everything and everyone. He doesn't even go home after school. He just wanders the streets of Rutland, VT, until he knows it's close to the time that his parents will come home. He's avoiding his older brother and his strung-out "friends" who hang out at the Shaw home all day, and the secret that even his parents don't know. He meets Katie, and his life begins to have choices again -- but at what point do you choose to let go of something that is already lost? And at what point does ignoring a problem stop protecting and instead endanger the ones you love? Great writing, timely subject. This one will make you think. Be sure to check out the author's notes at the end -- Doug Wilhelm had Vermont 8th graders reading drafts of this and giving him feedback.

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Falling is about two high school teenagers who are in search for their self. Everyone in school expected 15-year-old Matt Shaw to be the star basketball player for the team until everyone realizes that he never went out for the team--due to his home life. This is when 15-year-old Katie introduces herself to Matt as they are both in search for their self. I found this book to be enjoyable to read. Many teenagers could make connections throughout this book. It presents the hard issues of growing up and changing in your teenage years. Lots of emotions going on throughout this book as well.

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book, but I wish that a better closing came at the end for Matt and Katie. I wanted him to go to her and apologize and for them to get back together. And being Katie, she would forgive him immediately. *Sigh*. Oh, well. At least I can imagine my own ending in my mind.

I loved how Matt and Katie just clicked together. From the first day they were holding hands. They were the cutest couple I've ever read about in a book. I usually like teenage romances when they're a bit...older. Usually around 17-18 because they have more going on in their life. But this was enough. I loved it. Neal was the typical druggie. It was cool to see how a druggie's family can be affected by his decisions. This is one of best books I've ever read. :)

[Samantha Mccoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked Matt..Katie is one of those, always in your business types..she lied from the start so as a fan of Matt's, no, he should've never trusted her lol and her freggin friends, omg, she told them to stay out of it but yet they kept prying as though at 15, they are experts at boys and relationships..yeah, right! Katie, imo, should've been more upset w/them but that's just me and the respect you expect from best friends. And how they couldn't see why Matt would be pissed is annoying AF..I hope I never catch myself write a book featuring idiots..there's enough of them roaming the Earth, don't need to add fictional ones!

The ending was...yeah..

[Bonnie Ferrante · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is written for reluctant readers so the vocabulary isn't very rich. The characterization and plot, though, are solid. A teenage boy has an older brother who's gotten into something dangerous. He doesn't want his parents, or anyone else, to find out. Neither does he want to be around to see what's happening. This has a huge impact on his life and the only one who might possibly be able to help is his new girlfriend, Katie but trust is difficult.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was dithering in front of the YA section the other day when an intense young man of about 15 rushed up to me, grabbed this book off the shelf and pressed it into my hands, saying that it was a great read, and I should try it. Who could resist that? Certainly not me, and he was right. This is a realistic and gripping story of drugs, a brother, a bystander, and a family.

[Sami · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a sort of twist to a romance novel. Both kids have family issues and both have a different perspective of the world, which the author always comments on. This book generally asks a lot of questions with an infinite number of answers.

[Taylor Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very well written. I read Doug Wilhelm's other book "The Revealers" and I was impressed with that book also. But this one blew me away. I love the 3rd person narrative so you can see both characters point of view. This book was very hard to put down. Props to you Doug Wilhelm.

[Marcy Marrill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read. Teen romance with troubled teens. Interesting that female lead falls so quickly after SECONDS of chatting, but I remember falling quick and hard when I was that young too.

Decent climatic end.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I luved the beging and the middle was ok but the end of the book was awful. Bad endings ruin books for me!

[Megacold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helped kick off my interest in reading.