TY - BOOK AU - Scott,Mary-Anne TI - Snakes and ladders SN - 9781775430407 U1 - NZ823.3 23 PY - 2012/// CY - Auckland, N.Z. PB - Scholastic KW - Family life KW - Teen fiction KW - Secrets KW - Boarding schools KW - Life change events KW - Young adult fiction, New Zealand KW - local N1 - Novel for young adults N2 - Finn Fletcher is 16 and lives in a small coastal town with his druggie father and hardworking mother. When his father is accused of a hit and run, Finn accepts his grandmother's offer of sending him to boarding school in Auckland. He meets and falls for Mia, a rich Italian girl who all the lads admire. She gives him a glimpse of her privileged life and invites him to partner her to the ball. Finn tries to keep his messy family background a secret, and to keep up with Mia and the others. As well as adjusting to the private school culture, he has to contend with the bullying and jealousy of Edward O'Neill. Against increasing odds, he makes it to the ball with Mia and from there to the illicit after ball. Alcohol and high-jink around an unsupervised pool result in a tragedy and this is the turning point for Finn to finally confess the truth about his father's alleged crime. ER -