Posts Tagged 'teen relationships'

Numbers by Rachel Ward

Published October 8, 2010 RAC , Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Genre:  Realistic Fiction

# of Pages:  325

RAC Book:  No

Jem has always seen numbers when she looks directly into people’s eyes, but she never knew what they meant.  When her mother overdoses and dies, Jem realizes that the numbers she sees spell out the day a person will die.  Naturally, Jem tries not to get close to anyone or look directly into their eyes because she cannot bear knowing such important information.  A boy named Spider tries to befriend her anyway, and Jem finds herself wanting to spend time with him, even though she knows his death day is mere weeks away.  Can she change his fate?

This story has an interesting premise, but drags in places and many readers will struggle to get through it.  The ending is fast paced and interesting, but the journey to get there may lose some readers along the way.  Jem’s character seems flat and uninteresting until the end when she accepts her role in life.  This was a clever idea, but only somewhat realized through the story.

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Hit and Run by Lurlene McDaniel

Published August 18, 2010 RAC , Realistic Fiction 9 Comments
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Genre:  Realistic Fiction

# of Pages:  180

RAC Book:  Yes

When Analise does not return home from babysitting one night her parents immediately call everyone, including the police, to try and find her.  They have no luck until the next morning when her badly injured body is found off the side of a road, where they believe she was struck by a car when riding home on her bike.  Analise’s parents and boyfriend are determined to find out who did this, but as time goes on the leads begin to go cold.  Meanwhile, Laurie is horrified when she hears about the accident because she believes she might know something about it.  The problem is that she has to decide if she should come forward with this information or use it to better her own life by blackmailing someone.  Will Laurie make the right decision or will Analise’s attack go unsolved?

Lurlene McDaniel provides a gripping tale told in many perspectives as several different characters try to cope in the aftermath of this hit and run.  The motivations of the characters are clearly portrayed as the reader sees how they all react to this tragedy.  Teens will like this book because it is so easy for them to think of themselves in any one of these character’s shoes.  The book is a quick read and teens will find the ending satisfying.  McDaniel is not afraid of tackling difficult issues and this is no exception.

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