Title aside, a good place for young fans of Lois Duncan and Christopher Pike.
Best friends Mailee and Cara’s bond is tested when Cara becomes enthralled with a charismatic cult leader the summer before their senior year.
Disorganized Mailee has always depended on Cara’s focus to make their future dreams of working in show business come true. So she’s stunned when Cara decides to turn her life over to Firehorse, the alluring leader of the Haven, a small commune in the wilderness near their Montana home. Cara’s been in mourning since her younger sister, Harper, died in a car accident and is initially attracted to Haven after a chance meeting with Avalon, a little girl who lives there. But Mailee is troubled by the commune’s lack of basic resources and the small concrete prison she discovers on its outskirts. When Cara invites Mailee to a Haven “harvest celebration” that will culminate in her initiation into the commune, Mailee tries to free her friend—an attempt that nearly ends in tragedy. Though the plot is predictable and the climax preposterous, Mailee’s extensive research into the veracity of Firehorse’s anti-government rants is a well-timed nod to current “fake news” controversies. Mailee and Cara are white, Mailee’s boyfriend, Gavin, is an enrolled member of the Blackfeet tribe, and secondary character Brigit is black.
Title aside, a good place for young fans of Lois Duncan and Christopher Pike. (Fiction. 12-15)Pub Date: Oct. 31, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-338-10105-8
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Point/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2017
Haddix’s insightful tale is a compelling blend of sports, action and mystery.
An elite athlete, KT is on the fast track to softball stardom when her world is turned upside down.
The eighth-grader’s life drastically changes when she collapses while pitching during a major tournament. Awakening to an alternate reality, KT discovers the traditional roles of academics and sports have been reversed. Now, KT’s younger and supremely nonathletic brother, Max, is the focus of family life due to his status on the school’s math team. Yet KT soon realizes she is not the only one who wants out of this other world. Ultimately, she must figure out the common ground among an athlete, a genius and a video gamer and determine what issues drove them into this altered reality. While the premise of the sports/academics switch provides some humorous scenarios, it also conveys a powerful message. Haddix illuminates the pressure middle school–aged students often feel to conform to predetermined roles. Her cleverly constructed tale gives a voice to all students, encouraging them to look beyond the labels of sporty, smart and so on, to define themselves. KT’s transition from athlete to advocate is calculated to inspire readers to celebrate their individuality.
Haddix’s insightful tale is a compelling blend of sports, action and mystery. (Fantasy. 12-14)Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-689-87380-5
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 7, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A solid cast and heartfelt emotions lift this above its contrivances
"Dad thinks if you have a kid, you should pay child support. Paying for them is the law, but spending time with them isn't."
That's what aspiring journalist Ricki writes her first day riding shotgun with her bounty-hunter father. It's the first time in her life she's spent appreciable time with him, so she writes from the heart. They are only together because her feckless mother has taken off—again—and her grandmother got tired of putting her up. She used to tell herself stories of the exciting life her father led, inventing a mythology to explain his absence, but it turns out, he's just been a jerk. Bail-bond enforcement is a lot duller than reality TV suggests, but the adrenaline starts flowing when Ricki strikes up a conversation with "skip" Ian, who has jumped bail on a grand theft auto count. In seemingly no time, the charismatic teen has slipped his cuffs and stolen Ricki's dad's truck. The ensuing caper is a gentle one, a road trip calculated to give Ricki time to get to know her dad and achieve an understanding of herself and her family. She is an appealingly vulnerable character, her anger at both parents and her love for her mother both genuine and leading to completely believable choices, however wrongheaded.
A solid cast and heartfelt emotions lift this above its contrivances . (Fiction. 13-15)Pub Date: Oct. 2, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8050-9391-9
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: Aug. 7, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
