Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 14 and up
# of Pages: 341
RAC: Yes
Angela Cardenas is sent to the Hidden Oak School for Girls for a reason she does not readily explain. Her family does not even take her to the school. Instead, she has to take a bus and then walk up a big hill to get there. When she arrives she is placed in a temporary facility with other new girls who begin to disappear one by one. When she is finally taken to live with the general population of girls she notices that she is the last one to arrive, even though several girls remained in the temporary facility when she left. She begins to grow suspicious when she asks about them and is severely punished. Despite several warnings against finding these girls, Angela decides she has to know where they are and if they are okay. Are they in danger? And if so, can she save them without meeting a similar fate?
This book follows Angela as she tries to come to terms with the reason why she has been sent to this school, but at the same time tries to find out why there are so many secrets about the school. Is the school really looking out for her best interest or are they merely hiding some illegal actions and punishments that are currently practiced at the school? The story drags a bit in places, but there is a surprise in the plot when Angela slowly discovers what they do to the bad girls. Readers who like gritty books and survival stories will enjoy this.
Young Adult Book Reviews 