REAL AS IT GETS

After a new drug leads to fatalities among celebrities and classmates, teen TV-gossip diva Maya Morgan launches an investigation.

The strung-out former beauty queen whose story opens this third volume of the Rumor Central series represents only one of many plotlines. Maya’s player cousin, Travis, comes from New York to Miami to live with Maya and her family, and tension rises when Travis starts dating Maya’s best friend, Sheridan. Maya goes out with a dreamy date, but sometimes he acts like he’s hiding something. Maya’s nerdy friend, Alvin, starts dating a girl, and Maya can’t understand why she feels so angry about it. (This last plotline receives the least closure, but it will likely be addressed more fully in a future installment.) Maya’s back story is skillfully reintroduced piece by piece, and new and returning readers alike have ample tools to keep track of the many boys and BFFs in Maya’s life. The drug investigation, which brings together many of the characters and storylines, leads to a suspenseful and dangerous climax, but Maya’s confident, clever and funny narrative voice makes the seriousness feel in keeping with the rest of the story.

From gossip to guns, a fast-paced and enjoyable ride.