The Nickel Boys pages 44-95

     This section of the book covers the events that happen due to Elwood getting in the stolen car. Elwood is not punished with jail or prison but is sent to a reform school called "Nickel Academy" and soon realizes how horrible of a place it is. When he is first sent to the school, it does not seem very bad, it actually seems better than he expected. He learns that to graduate, he must move up three ranks from where he starts and that it requires no academic success, but is based upon his success in becoming more mature. Elwood is discouraged when he finds out how easy the academic classes are, as he would have been taking college classes this year. One day, Elwood attempted to break up a fight between three kids, and one of the staff saw this and all four of the students got in trouble. This is when Elwood realized how bad things were going to be. Later that night, all four boys were picked up and driven to a small building near the fields that they worked in, and in that building, the boys were individually taken into a room and violently beaten. This being Elwood's first time, he fell unconscious after a few hits. When he was brought back to the hospital, he talked to another classmate and found out that what happened to him was very common at Nickel, and sometimes the kids don't even come back after going to that building.   

     This section of the book was very interesting, it shows how looks can be very deceiving, as Elwood saw Nickel as a well taken care of school and thought his stay there would be quick and easy. Before Elwood was taken to be beaten, he did not truly feel like all the other kids, but afterward, he said that now he felt more connected, he was "one of them," now and understood what truly happens at this school. This is something that occurs in real life also, like if you are new in a group or school, you will feel very separated from everyone else. However, once you experience everything that they have to experience wherever you are, you will feel more connected and probably more accepted at that place. This section of the book was very interesting and it really serves to get the reader interested as it is a very important part of the plot.