PROM ANONYMOUS

A work that at first seems as vapid as its title deepens as the personalities of its main characters and their friends emerge. Three high-school girls seek dates for the prom. Laura feels secure in her sexually active relationship with her longtime boyfriend, but athletic Jace has a crush on Paul, a shy tennis star, and Chloe immerses herself in her quirky, artistic life with her deliberately outcast friends. Laura tackles the challenge of finding Chloe a date, while Jace struggles to befriend the secretive Paul. A choppy writing style with deliberately short, declarative sentences mars the first third of the narrative, making it more rather than less difficult to read, but Nelson allows a more natural style to flow as the prom commences. Yes, it’s a who-will-date-whom story, but with laughter and surprising depth. The target audience of young girls should find it plenty of fun. (Fiction. YA)