SLATE

A teenager faces a stalker menacing him and his rock star parents in this YA mystery.

Slate Volkov’s junior year at a Manhattan private academy is off to a bad start. He’s getting vaguely ominous texts from an anonymous “R” and spots a stranger following him. These threats soon name Slate’s parents—famous Russian rockers who can’t get United States citizenship until their American-born son is old enough to sponsor them. When his parents, headed back to their home country with their band mates, are in a car accident, there’s a chance this mishap was actually a deliberate attempt on their lives. As Slate struggles to identify as well as evade the “perv” incessantly stalking him, he learns that Russian thugs have been intimidating Galina Minkin, his motherly, full-time guardian in New York. As the new school year pushes on, he balances a semesterlong project with his amateur but potentially dangerous investigation. Luckily, new pals at the academy, along with his trustworthy best friend, John “Dash” Dasher, lend support as Slate fights to keep himself and his family safe. Mularz’s engaging tale moves at a steady clip, hitting the ground running as Slate receives an unnerving, cryptic text. But the teens’ compelling personal dramas take precedence over the mystery. Slate’s parents spend more time partying hard than with their only child, while Dash’s father, also a celebrity musician, seems even more neglectful. Furthermore, Slate’s fellow students include one who resents his wealth and privilege and another whose father may be abusing him. Still, it’s fun to watch Slate piece together certain clues, which he manages to do without putting himself or his friends in too much peril. Ample scenes pairing Slate and Dash make this a mostly lighthearted offering, as their version of rebelling against famous parents is jamming in their two-man, country-music band.

An appealing young hero leads an indelible cast in this entertaining thriller.