Taking the fall for his little sister leads to big trouble for 17-year-old Aaron Foster.
Aaron is the quiet kid, the one who blends into the wallpaper and who stays out of trouble. But when his sister is caught with a small bag of (his) marijuana, Aaron is coerced into signing up for the police informant program and tasked with unmasking a high school dealer. Forcing himself into the right social sphere isn't easy, and Aaron's interrogation skills leave something to be desired. Labeled a snitch in the swampy ecosystem of his Florida high school, Aaron finds that untangling interpersonal connections is complicated at best, and it becomes nearly impossible when he develops feelings for one of his prime suspects. Though she sticks with the Florida setting that served her so well in her first novel, Total Constant Order (2007), Chappell suffers from the sophomore slump, with a thin premise, emotionally dull characters and a slow pace. That the police would recruit a withdrawn and disconnected student to become a social informer stretches credulity. Brief references to Aaron's drug use and panic attacks constitute his characterization, and secondary characterization is equally scanty. Tension never develops, even as Aaron wades into the murky territory of drug sales and dealers.
Falls flat. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Aug. 8, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-7387-3247-3
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Flux
Review Posted Online: June 6, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2012
Categories: TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FAMILY | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES
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The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 13, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
Categories: TEENS & YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES
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A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense.
29
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Everyone believes that Salil Singh killed his girlfriend, Andrea Bell, five years ago—except Pippa Fitz-Amobi.
Pip has known and liked Sal since childhood; he’d supported her when she was being bullied in middle school. For her senior capstone project, Pip researches the disappearance of former Fairview High student Andie, last seen on April 18, 2014, by her younger sister, Becca. The original investigation concluded with most of the evidence pointing to Sal, who was found dead in the woods, apparently by suicide. Andie’s body was never recovered, and Sal was assumed by most to be guilty of abduction and murder. Unable to ignore the gaps in the case, Pip sets out to prove Sal’s innocence, beginning with interviewing his younger brother, Ravi. With his help, Pip digs deeper, unveiling unsavory facts about Andie and the real reason Sal’s friends couldn’t provide him with an alibi. But someone is watching, and Pip may be in more danger than she realizes. Pip’s sleuthing is both impressive and accessible. Online articles about the case and interview transcripts are provided throughout, and Pip’s capstone logs offer insights into her thought processes as new evidence and suspects arise. Jackson’s debut is well-executed and surprises readers with a connective web of interesting characters and motives. Pip and Andie are white, and Sal is of Indian descent.
A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense. (Mystery. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-9636-0
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2019
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