The Count of Mount Collier High by David W. Gordon is a coming of age story about Edric, a young boy, and the crazy twists of his life as he goes on the roller coaster ride of growing up. Edric has the added insanity of dealing with Abraham Feinstein after he is betrayed by the people he thought were his friends. The first chapter shows us Edric winning the basketball game for his team after they sustain an injury, receiving the adulation of a lot of cheering fans, and asking out one of the popular girls in school who is excited to date him. However, since he is a lower class kid, this new found happiness doesn't last and he is betrayed. This leads him to a completely different life where he is rebuilt and gets the chance to exact his revenge on the people who betrayed him.

The story was quite entertaining and had a good mix of everything one might expect to find in a story for young people about how to survive school. I liked Edric as a character, and his story reminded me of the Count of Monte Cristo: betrayed and comes back to exact his revenge. The Count of Mount Collier High by David W. Gordon is an enjoyable and provocative story sure to captivate and delight a lot of kids who will sympathize and want to achieve something. A great story; the writing was very clean and flowed well.

The Count of Mount Collier High is an interesting tale by David W. Gordon, detailing the injustices dealt to a young teen who is briefly held in high repute. A poor student at a rich school, Edric becomes an overnight sensation when he scores the winning points in the school basketball tournament. After Meagan (the girl of his dreams) hugs him, Edric asks her out on a date, causing a rift between Edric and his best friend, Frank, who plots revenge. Drugs are planted in Edric’s locker and an anonymous tip-off is delivered to the sadistic Vice Principal Vincent Germaine who is having an affair with a student. When Germaine discovers that Edric knows about the affair, he threatens to destroy Edric’s father, forcing the boy into silence. With the last document (a full confession) signed, Edric is arrested for drug trafficking, regardless that Germaine is fully aware of Edric’s innocence. Edric spends the next four years being beaten, bullied and ostracized by teachers and students at his new home – a secret military academy - with the exception of one teacher. Professor Feinstein takes Edric under his wing after Edric’s failed suicide attempt, ensuring the boy has the best education, the best physical training AND a friend to talk to.

It was very refreshing to read a novel which was free of sex scenes and obscenity. The images played out so perfectly in my head as I read The Count of Mount Collier High, as if I were watching the perfect action film. I felt empathy and remorse for Edric throughout the book. David W. Gordon provides the perfect balance of any action story, with love, betrayal, loss, devastation and revenge. His unique writing style makes it impossible to put the book down. I could easily read this book again and again, and look forward to reading more from David W. Gordon in the future.

David W. Gordon’s The Count of Mount Collier High portrays the coming of age story of Edric Davies. Edric attends school in a well-to-do community. A place where old money and new govern, a town where the working class serves the elite. Edric is one of the working class and he doesn’t mind it at all. Well, not until his life is turned upside down by his overnight success in winning the homecoming basketball game. Instant rock star fame! This event will forever shape the person he is and will become. Edric’s celebrity status unleashes jealousy within his so-called friends, resulting in a malicious betrayal. Without warning, Edric finds himself shut out from society, alone, and wounded. To those who care, Edric has simply disappeared. Edric has become David and Goliath is Mount Collier. Edric knows that “no amount of stones could bring down the wealthy elitists of Mount Collier,” for money is power and its influence seems limitless. But one way or the other, he will bring down the giant that ruined his life. Freedom and revenge fuel Edric’s thoughts; he is determined to balance the scales of social status in Mount Collier. It will take time and a complex scheme of retribution, but he will take down those who betrayed him.

David W. Gordon parallels Alexander Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo in his contemporary rendition, The Count of Mount Collier High. The narrative’s theme is one of social injustice and revenge. It is obvious that reading adventures as a child left a lasting impression on the author. With short chapters, a devious plot full of high school drama, and an adolescent main character, this book will certainly appeal to his targeted young adult audience. The characterization mimics that of the Dumas’ classic tale as well. The young protagonist's friends betray him out of envy despite their own wealth and prestige. This scandalous disloyalty exposes a deep rooted obsession to get even, causing a dynamic character growth in the main character. Not only does the hero evolve into an educated mind and a physically fit body, his soul is altered by the change of identity. By changing his name, his appearance and attitude change, thus creating multiple personas.

Gordon uses many of the same motifs of the original story as well. Suicide, politics, the influential power of money, and the escape to the sea were aspects of both stories. The narrative is captivating and paced well. It has a gradual, yet steep climb to the apex of the plot, followed by a patient and careful descent, allowing the reader to savor the wrapping up of loose ends as the protagonist manipulates his revenge. It was an enjoyable read; one of my favorite parts was the inclusion of Whitman’s poetry and all the historical references. David W. Gordon took his favorite childhood adventure and made it his own in the The Count of Mount Collier High.

The Count of Mount Collier High by David W. Gordon is a story for tweens and teens about what happens when you have it all and then lose it. Edric Davies had it all. When the star player of his basketball team got injured, it was Edric who rallied the team and overcame the deficit to win. Suddenly he was popular, the game's star, and he even got the most attractive girl in school. But not everyone was happy that Edric was suddenly so popular, and a plot was hatched to bring Edric down a notch. Because of his betrayal, Edric ended up in the toughest military school, Shatterly's Obedience and Drill Fraternity. Edric wants to give up completely, until he meets an eccentric professor who just might be able to teach Edric what he wants to learn in order to exact vengeance on those who ruined his life.

The Count of Mount Collier High is an interesting story that teens and tweens will enjoy about the popular life in school and what happens when it is all taken away. I think a lot of young readers will relate to this topic, and understand the feelings of revenge Edric has against those who wronged him. I thought the high school scenes were written very well. Gordon did a nice job of describing the cliques and groups that form in high school, and the drama that follows when someone tries to upset the hierarchy. That felt really authentic and kids will relate to it.

Amazing read for both adults and teens. David Gordon has done it once again with another awesome novel! This is a must read!