Rolltreppe abwärts

Synopsis of Rolltreppe abwärts

«Rolltreppe abwärts» is the young adult novel by Hans-Georg Noack, published by Ravensburger Buchverlag Otto Maier GmbH in paperback (216 pages, in German).

Jochen, a 13-year-old boy, feels lonely after his parents' divorce and ends up being taken in by a group that gives him attention in exchange for taking part in thefts. When he is discovered, school bullying and family conflicts push him to react with violence, until he ends up admitted to a juvenile detention centre. The novel addresses loneliness, the search for identity and the slide into youth delinquency.

Novel originally published in 1974; this German edition is from 1997. It is recommended for readers aged 12 and up and is often used as school reading.

For young people and adults interested in realistic novels about social problems, adolescence and exclusion, as well as for use in schools or as reading adapted for struggling readers.