Product Description
Scottie-Anne's older sister is a "professional" participant in beauty contests, and after watching so many of them, Scottie-Anne's conclusion is that brains don't count much. She wants nothing to do with what she considers the shallow, egotistical world of pageants -- until her school holds one. Scottie-Anne is shocked to realize that she wants to win! After all, no one wants to be a runner-up.

The pageant isn't the only exciting event in Scottie-Anne's life. She's been chosen to participate in a Russian studies program on the weekends at Yale University. As preparations for the pageant continue, Scottie-Anne wonders why brains don't get the recognition that beauty gets. Can't you be a winner without being in the spotlight? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

A great book!
This book is about some girls that were born in the 70s and they want to enter a beauty contest. They talk about how and what they hat to do to ba able to win or at liest enter the beauty contest. this is what yuo need to do and be. Frist you need to come from Taxes and have dubble name,but here the promable the 3 lovely girls dont have these 2 things. If you want to see what happends THEN PICK UP THIS BOOK AT YOUR LIBARY!!! I rally benevolence with book, but it can have realy BORING partS. Man I would tell my self I need to get in this book and fix somethings.In the fuerture I would be dilafal to read more book by Caroline B.Conney.Why becaues if this book was the best book I have ever raed I cant wait for other unprecedented books.this is a book I realy recommend for you to read this fabulas book.If your passion is aboutsome girls that work together to make something better out of thire lives this is the book for you. The rating i give this book is10+. Why becaues I realy lovedthis book I thinkit was the best book I have ver raed. It has aswome words and it make it clearn of what they are tring to say. I dont have the words to explain how much i love this book so READ IT!!!

Beauty Pageant Battles
Scottie-Anne's older sister Dane has always been the superstar of the family.She was in her first beauty pageant when she was two years old, and she hasn't stopped since then.Now she is in high school and is practically famous in their town.Her parents and Scottie-Anne spend every weekend driving around in a custom-made van attending beauty pageants.Dane usually wins.Scottie-Anne isn't particularly beautiful; she is more likely to be an academic star than a beauty queen.Sometimes she wishes she had the attention Dane has, though.

Now Scottie-Anne's middle school has decided to hold a beauty pageant as a fund-raiser.Scottie-Anne's best friend Lillie really wants to enter the pageant, but her parents are against it because they think beauty pageants are degrading to girls.Finally her parents agree to let Lillie enter, under the condition that Scottie-Anne enters as well.They think it's a safe bet that Scottie-Anne wouldn't be caught dead in a beauty pageant.

With pressure from Lillie and pressure from Dane, who wants Lillie to enter and win to teach her parents a lesson, Scottie-Anne reluctantly enters the pageant.Soon, though, she finds that she is more invested in this thing than she thought.She is almost surprised to find that she really does want to win the pageant.As the event gets cloer and closer, though, she begins to simply hope she won't embarrass herself in front of so many people.

The characters in this story were really vivid and honestly portrayed.The author is good at capturing what it is like to be a teenager.I liked that beauty pageants weren't portrayed as evil in this book.Dane was somewhat obnoxious, but she was confident and articulate in defending pageants, which made her a good character.

A look at pageants from the outside looking in
This was the first of Cooney's books I read. I picked it up at the library one lazy summer afternoon. I was drawn. Scottie-Anne is a very relatable character. Used to living in her sister's shadow, she had grown to despise pageants after always watching her beauty queen sister, Dane, compete and always win. Her school is hosting a beauty pageant and all of her friends want to compete. Scottie-Anne initially thinks it's stupid and she doesn't want to participate. As the story progresses, she begins to want to compete. She wants Dane to look up at her. Scottie-Anne now wants attention. She wants the spotlight. The only question is...will she win?

OK Book but its not my taste
This book is about beauty pageants which was everything said. I didn't like the big idea of the book which was beauty counts and smarts does not mean anything. Which is not true! Scottie-Anne at first thinks beauty pageants are stupid and sees no point in them, then suddenly she is FORCED to enter one because of her best friends mom. Eventually Scotts suddenly wants to win out of no where. Scotts is asked at the end if she enjoyed the pageant and she says YES but there is no talk about her enjoying the pageant in the book! Again this book is more for people who are into modeling, pageants, and how YOU LOOK. This was not a good big idea to teach to girls at the age of ten like me therefore I found this book pointless. This book was also hard to do a book project on in school because of its big idea. The back of the book made it seem like it tought a good lesson which is that beauty doesn't matter its whats inside that counts. But the book said the exact oposite. This really let me down.

OK Book but its not my taste
This book is about beauty pageants which was everything said. I didn't like the big idea of the book which was beauty counts and smarts does not mean anything. Which is not true! Scottie-Anne at first thinks beauty pageants are stupid and sees no point in them, then suddenly she is FORCED to enter one because of her best friends mom. Eventually Scotts suddenly wants to win out of no where. Scotts is asked at the end if she enjoyed the pageant and she says YES but there is no talk about her enjoying the pageant in the book! Again this book is more for people who are into modeling, pageants, and how YOU LOOK. This was not a good big idea to teach to girls at the age of ten like me therefore I found this book pointless. This book was also hard to do a book project on in school because of its big idea. The back of the book made it seem like it tought a good lesson which is that beauty doesn't matter its whats inside that counts. But the book said the exact oposite. This really let me down. ... Read more

Product Description
When the invitation to the Preffyn family reunion arrives interrupting a perfectly decent summer vacation, 15-year-old Shelley Wollcott is anything but enthusiastic. It’s not that Shelley has anything against her relatives, she just can’t stand it when they give her that “what a pity” look. It’s not her fault that her real mother walked out on the family or that her father has remarried yet again. With Dad away on business and her older sister visiting their mother in Paris, Shelley must face the “perfect” Preffyns’ reunion with only her prankster younger brother and her insecure new stepmother at her side. It’s an opportunity to uncover the family’s secrets, but Shelley isn’t sure whether, when she discovers the truth, she’ll laugh or cry.

In this funny and poignant novel by Caroline B. Cooney, Shelley learns to appreciate all the members of her unusual family—including herself!—in ways she never anticipated. And she discovers things are often not as perfect as they seem.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

It's a good read
Fifth-grader Olivia Potts feels like nobody special.She can't compare to her smart, poetry-writing sister or her Yale University attending brother. Olivia makes friends with the new girl in town, Anita.When someone stealsthe license plates off Anita's parents' car, it's just the first of manystrange events that Olivia is determined to get to the bottom of.As shesolves the mystery, she learns maybe she is smart after all. It's a goodstory and has a lot of nice lessons about acceptance.Olivia is a veryrealistic heroine.I'm sorry this is out of print.I read it (more thanonce) when I was a kid and really enjoyed it. ... Read more

Product Description
Mariah's not sure why she's signed up for the mysterious night class - somehow she felt compelled to. There was no clue on the board as to what the class is about, and only three people have signed up. They will all learn the art of fear, from a teacher who demands results. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Horrible
This is perhaps the worst book I have ever read, and I have read lots of books.The author uses way too much symbolism, and she overuses similes and metaphors.....there is at least 1 in each paragraph!!!This gets EXTREMELY annoying and iritating.Also, the plot is cheesy, and the author never tells about the feelings the students have when they "become dark."They all act normal.I'm done, I've said my piece, NEVER READ THIS BOOK!A waste of time. ... Read more

Product Description
Mary Lee and Madrigal are identical twins, exactly alike in every way. They're mirror images, two halves of one whole - or so it seems. ... Read more

Product Description
Seventeen-year-old Susan looks forward eagerly to her senior year in high school but finds her comfortable assumptions and optimistic expectations of life and people shattered by the return home of her older sister, a failed rock singer with a bitter grudge against the family. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

I blame the publisher
for making this book so hard to find. It was a great read, funny, thoughtful, and unique, and yet, it has disappeared from my library and is unavailable in my local bookstore. All I want is to re-read the story, and can I do this? Can I re-read Susan's realistic dealings with snobs and A-boys and losers (who just might not be)? Can I once again feel the pain and terror and sadness involved with having a sister like Ashley, burned out and destructive and volatile? Can I indulge again in the great romantic scene between Susan and *cough* the guy who she has a romance with? NO, I can't, because some stupid publisher decided to stop printing this excellent book and now it is impossible to get ahold of. As sad as this may be for me, however, it is sadder for those who have never had the chance to read the book at all. Make More Copies!!!!

Definitely Don't Blame the Music
A Review by Carrie

Seventeen year-old Susan Hall is excited about her senior year in high school. She is the music editor for the schools yearbook. Susan has the biggest crush on a boy names Anthony, but she has some competition with the chief editor of the yearbook, Shepherd. When everything is going fine for Susan an unsuspected visit from her twenty-five year-old sister, Ashley, turns everything upside-down. Ashley holds a grudge against the family because she was going to be a famous rock star, but everything went wrong and she failed at success. Susan came up with a great idea for the yearbook so she has to ask her scary classmate Whit for help. When Susan starts to talk to Whit she realizes he is not a bad guy at all, and she develops a crush on him. Things at home are not going good for Susan though, Ashley keeps ruining things, and she even tries to kill Susan.

I like how the story has a twist at the end. It is a very happy ending too. Everything leads up to the climax perfectly. It is a very fast read. Even if you don't have a psychotic sister you can find something to relate to in the story. Like trying to make things better in your family or trying to impress a guy at school, you can somehow relate.

I recommend this book to mostly girl teenagers that like to read about the everyday feelings that we encounter. Also I recommend this book to people that like to read about family issues and people that like happy endings.

An Enjoyable Read
I read this book years ago when I was 14 years old and wish it were still in print!The characters are believable and the plot draws the reader into the story.A must read for any teenager!

This book was really great!
I enjoy almost all of Caroline B. Conney's work, and I must say, this book was one of her best.It is written in the first person by a girl who's older sister returns home on her 25th birthday.Her sister creates acrisis in the family by controling her parent with crazy antics.While thenarrorator is having a great emotional struggle at home, she is trying tosort out feelings for two different guys at school.This story has a greatending.I definately recommend this book as well as the rest of Conney'swork.Although this book is out of print now, it is probably available atyour local library.

Coming of age in a dysfunctional family
This is one of the best "social commentary" books I have ever read. I have wanted to use it with my 8th graders for several years, but it has never been available at an affordable price. The book deals with coming of age, consequences of decisions, family dysfunction, and family loyalty. Readers will sympathize with the protagonist who must deal with her rebellious older sibling coming home and stealing the family attention, albeit in a negative way. This book will also connect with any young adult who has tried to be the "family hero," but resents the attention that more "flambuoyant" family members receive. This is an example of Carolyn Cooney's early quality writing before she became caught up in the "R.L. Stine syndrome." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A pleasant mediocrity.
Good-natured but one-dimensional story about a a lazy-ish girl from aridiculously driven family who decides, partly to drive her parents nuts,to try out for the cheerleading team. There's one pretty powerful sceneinvolving the family's misguided attempt to take her out to a celebrationdinner, but the rest of the book seems to wallow in shallowness. Thecharacters just aren't fleshed out enough...no one will stick with youafter the book is closed. The story is so lightweight, in fact, that I'msurprised Cooney wrote it, given her knack for complex, offbeat, memorablecharacters. Go figure. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

suntanned
Caroline Cooney has done it again!She has created a successful love story with over a million copies sold. She has so much talent and skill.Suntanned is an execellent example of it.I would susggest this book toany one who loves Carolyn B. Cooney's books. ... Read more

Product Description
A high school junior finds the perfect boyfriend, only to feel smothered by their constant togetherness. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

I can relate
Wow this book is realy easy to relate to- This author is one of my favorites and this just became my favorite book.
This is a story that deals with the "pressures" and the loss of a best friend over boys... it's a good book for girls who are dealing with this type of thing.

A Teen Love Story Gone Wrong
In this book a girl and her best friend are hopeless romantics.They finally get boyfriends and one finds out that it is not all it's cut out to be.She and her boyfriend like each other but they don't want to be likeher friend and her boyfriend.The try and be like them and find it dosen'twork because they both want to lead their own life out side of theirrelationship.The story tells of the hardship and expectations ofrelationships.

Good but not her best!
This book it about a girl and her best friend.Her best friend gets a boyfriend and so she thinks she needs on.There is a boy however who likes her.They start to go out.She finds out that she doesn't want to bearound him ALL the time.She also learns that their is a cost for having aboyfriend.In all of this is another little girl.As i said before thisis not the best of Cooney's work but it is a good book to read.It gives areal life feeling of what it is like. ... Read more

Product Description
Freeze tag with Lannie is no ordinary game, because when she tags someone they really do freeze. They could even freeze to death. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A dance at The Hadley's.
1.This book is about some teenagers going to a New Year's Eve dance at The Hardley's tower.Some of the teenagers do some things just to show people how bad they are.Some of the girls fall in love with another guy, some of them fall in love with the wrong guy.This book makes me want to keep reading to find out what happens next because alot of things are going on that makes me want to find out what happens.
2.I think this is a great book because it tells you so much detail about what kind of clothes they're wearing and what they look like, I can picture every thing they say in my head while i'm reading it.
3.This book did a good job at telling the mood of the charecters because there was a time when a person was happy and than she was really mad a few minutes later.There's also a character in the book that was the happiest girl ever and than a few minutes later, she didn't want to be around anybody.
4.I think others would enjoy this book because it makes you feel happy, sad, mad, it makes you feel the way the character's feel.I recommend this book to people who like to read realistic books because this is a book that could happen to anybody on New Year's Eve.

Caroline B. Cooney captures the attention of teen readers
I have been reading Cooney's books for a long time now. I really enjoy reading her books becuase teens of any age can relate to them. I hope that she wil continue to write more books so that more teens can get the chance to read such great books.

I loved this book, and the rest of the series! Bring it back
I just love this series! I read the books when I was a little girl, and I can't find them in any book store!Bring them back! ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (6)

Great Companion to Will's Macbeth!
I loved this take on Macbeth's characters - the backstory from a very different perspective.Well done!

Let Well Enough Alone
To be quite honest, if you have to introduce Macbeth to your youngsters like this, it's probably best to let them wait for the real thing. The story would be alright if you changed the names, but it doesn' work for Macbeth. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not expecting a perfect recreation. But I can't stand the way this was done.

Macbeth is not a story about the horrible monster who is justly slain by a valliant hero. The "heros" are a pack of loathsome, snivelling cowards. Macbeth, on the other hand, although I can't deny he's evil, is a compelling character who holds the reader's sympathies until his death. And after. Mrs. Cooney, however, removes Macbeth almost completely from the story. The parts of the original plot that are shown seem contrived, and its characters are either wholly goodhearted and virtuous or wicked beyond hope of redemption, which leaves all of them seeming empty and inhuman.

I also don't understand why Macbeth's wickedness should autumatically carry down the chain of command to his servants. I like Seyton.

As a matter of fact, I STILL liked Seyton in Mrs. Cooney's version, mostly becauseI hoped he really would kill that little brat of a girl.

Anyway, I'd only recommend this to someone who either does not know or care about or ever intends to read the play, or to somebody who is idealistic beyond the pointof sanity.

introducing shakespeare
wow, this was a great novel, very suspenseful, and, although cooney has a different take on the story, it may be a great way to introduce middle school aged kids to shakespeare.

The fine representation of Shakespearian drama is well done and realistic here.
Caroline Cooney's ENTER THREE WITCHES tells of teen Lady Mary, a ward of the Macbeths whose life is changed when her father betrays the king and is hanged as a traitor. Mary's sent off the become a maid, but when King Duncan is murdered, Mary finds her new world is again threatened by court politics and intrigue. The fine representation of Shakespearian drama is well done and realistic here.

Brings the story of Macbeth to life
Caroline B. Cooney, author of FLIGHT #116 IS DOWN and many other action-packed teen novels, brings the story of Macbeth to life in ENTER THREE WITCHES. Murder, witches, betrayal, battles and even love are themes in this powerful historical tale.

Readers meet a teenager named Mary, ward of Lord Macbeth and his wife Lady Macbeth. Mary is the source of envy and disdain by the household staff, including Swin, the cook who knows about magic, and Ildred, full of sadness and desire for a better life. Mary thinks only of her betrothed and her father, far away while she learns about castle life.

However, a terrible battle changes everything. Mary's father is hanged as a traitor to the King, and Macbeth and his loyal followers --- Banquo, Fleance and Seyton --- are called heroes for killing enemies. Seyton turns out to have dark ambitions of his own and carries evil secrets. Mary now has no future and worries that she herself will be hanged.

When the King is murdered in Lord Macbeth's castle and his sons run away, Macbeth and his wife become king and queen. But something is wrong. Did the Princes or the King's servants kill him? Mary heard the Witches' predictions and knows that the murderer is still at large. Meanwhile, no one embraces the new king and queen. Anyone who goes against them in any way is murdered, and the body count piles up with suspicion.

One day, while riding, Fleance and his father are stopped by supposed robbers. But they are not interested in goods or horses and instead wield axes. Fleance fights and then flees to find the Princes and reclaim the throne from Macbeth. He also wants to learn the identities of the robbers and who sent them.

Living in the castle with the new Queen, who keeps washing her hands, Mary tries to figure out a way to save herself as well as all of Scotland from Macbeth. But who can she trust? The book follows her, Fleance, Swin and Ildred as they sort out the truth and their futures.

Stick with this story through the introduction of the characters. The action builds, and readers soon will be turning pages as terrible evil fights with heroic deeds. ENTER THREE WITCHES may even inspire young people to read (or re-read) MACBETH!

--- Reviewed by Amy Alessio
... Read more

Product Description
Althea is a nobody who wants to be somebody. She wants to be noticed, to have friends, to be part of the popular crowd. Then she meets the vampire who lives in the circular tower in her new house. The vampire says that he can make her popular--more popular than she ever imagined she could be. All Althea has to do is agree to a simple deal. So simple a promise, but so evil. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Oh, to be popular...
Althea doesn't fit in at all in school. She wishes she could be popular and have tons of adoring friends. The vampire who haunts her house can make her dream come true, but at a price. Will it be worth it?

This book is a great start to The Vampire's Promise trilogy. The descriptions throughout this book are excellent. You'll feel like you're right there with Althea, experiencing what she's experiencing.

Terrible writing, Shallow characters
These books are simply horrible. They have large gaps in the plot but the worst part is the shallow nature of the characters. The girls in all three books want to be pretty or popular. For these silly aspirations they hand over their friends to the vampire. Do they feel bad afterwards, have a moral conflict perhaps? Hardly. They easily justify their betrayals because they get asked out by a cute boy or they get to hang out at the coolest table. I wasn't only disappointed with my purchase, I was disgusted.

The Vampires Promise: Erika C
The theme in the story is suspense. Althea wanted to be popular, pretty, and loved by guys. But she didnt seem to fit in. Then she meet a vampire who could make her popular, all she has to do is bring him a human. She first brings Chelste, pretty, popular, a girl everyone wants to be. Then she gives the vampire Jenny. She was Altheas friend before high school.
I can relate to this story because sometimes its hard to fit in with certin people. Im glad they made this story because its suspenseful and fun to read.

Alienor Shanghai
I have read many books that I don't like, but this book is one of the few I really do like.One of the reasons why I like it is because, although it's fiction there are parts that could be true. For example Althea, the main character, who was popular in middle school, is not popular at all in high school and all she wants is to be popular again. I think that that example is something that could truly happen. Of course the fictional side of the story is that she gets the help of a vampire and the vampire makes her popular.
The house that Althea lives in, creeps me out. She lives in a big house, with a long gravel driveway, and a big garden. There is also one tower, with 3 windows, which have both inside, and outside shutters. And to me it's no surprise that the vampire chose this house to live in.
I compare the vampire to Dracula. Maybe it's because they are both vampires and both wear capes. But the vampire just reminds me of Dracula. The weird thing about the vampire in the book is that he waits for hundreds of years just to find somebody who is curious enough to open the shutters in the tower and who agrees to his proposal. Althea of course, did just that. She didn't care what the consequences would be, she just wanted to be popular again. It's only after he almost took the 3rd victim that she realizes the consequences. And believe me the consequences are not good.

Excellent
Not only is this book an excellent vampire mystery, it also relates some very real feelings of teenagers in protagonist Althea.All she wants is to be popular - what's so wrong with that?Then she makes a deal with a vampire who can grant her her wish, but only if she will bring him innocent victims.Will she make the right decision and go back to being unpopular?Deadly Offer is gripping and creepy.I would recommend it to anyone who is a mystery or a vampire fan. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Good Book
This is a great book! It is about Cheerleaders and rumors that spread. The main character is Mary Ellen the Varisty captain of the cheerleading squad. Rumor says that she is shoplifting. Mary-Ellen is inncocent of shop-lifting, but she is very poor. The Poorest of the poor. Marnie's is a shop with very expensive clothes. Mary-Ellen is buying clothes from Marnie's. She is also having a little bit of trouble with the guys even though she is popular and pretty. She is first dating Troy.....a guy of the basketball team. Well......first Pres. Ok..I can't tell you the rest!! Find out by reading it yourself!! REVIEW BY: ~MIChi* ... Read more

Product Description
When Meghan and West first played Freeze Tag with Lannie, it was no ordinary game. Because when Lannie tagged someone, they really froze. Icy blue and cold. Like death.Now Meghan, West, and Lannie are in high school, and Meghan and West are in love. They're the perfect couple. But Lannie is determined to have West for her very own... and if she doesn't get her way, she'll freeze Meghan... to death. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (28)

Beatiful Scare
I read this book in little more than an hour.I simply could not put it down!Although Lanie, the seemingly evil cold hearted girl is the one to threaten the heroin, Meghan, you can almost see her reasoning.This book makes you start to wonder what you would do if you were in Lanie's situation and had her ability.To be in love with a boy you can't have and to be able freeze those who don't show you the love they should?You really do start to wonder! Also, although she is, in the end of the novel, is Meghan really the heroin throughout the whole book?She makes her opinion of Lanie very clear.I found this book a masterpiece of horrific qualities woven with the beauty of love and the importance of the treatment of children wherever they are. Rachel Rose

Could not put it down
This book was impossible for me to put down. A great read that anyone could, and should read. Read it when I was supposed to be with the family, but it was so good, I missed out on a lot of family time,but it was worth it. Great suspence.

Excellent
This is one of the better 'young adult' books I've ever read. I put that in italics because even when I read it years ago the moral conundrum at the end left me conflicted for days.On one hand you have this purely evil entity, Lannie (and kudos to Ms. Cooney for writing a character this genuinely frightening), who can and will kill anyone she feels like killing. On the other hand, you see her pain, you see how she has basically been betrayed by every single person she has encountered in her life.Then you have the 'hero' Meghan, your average popular golden girl, who finds herself victimized, and yet almost empathizing with her tormentor.The final scene can be called a cop-out or the most intriguing character development.I dare you not to wonder what happens after the final sentence; not to write your own "final" chapter. I'm sure lots of us would have loved for Ms. Cooney to write a sequel; personally I think it's better leaving it where it is.I'd love to see this in film version, if Hollywood doesn't wreck it with a neatly tied up ending, and lots of predictable pretty faces in the cast.

Chillingly creepy...
Meghan admires the Trevor family--the way they are so warm and welcoming, and the way the three kids (West, Tuesday, and Brown) all get along. Every chance she gets, Meghan hangs around. Even at nine years old, she has a crush on West and believes they will be together someday. When Meghan, West, Tuesday, and Brown play Freeze Tag with Lannie, a neighborhood girl who nobody likes, they discover that when Lannie touches you, you really freeze. Lannie refuses to unfreeze Meghan until West makes a terrible promise.

Now that Meghan, West, and Lannie are in high school, Meghan and West are in love, and Lannie is out in the cold--until Lannie reminds West of his long-forgotten promise. Lannie wants West and is jealous of Meghan, who seems to have everything. If West won't keep his promise, Meghan just might end up frozen forever.

Suspenseful page-turner that makes you think about what happens to children who nobody loves.

This one should be read by parents as well as teens, especially those working with abused teens


At the heart of this book is an odd girl, Lannie, who has the ability to literally get people to freeze during Freeze Tag - or any time she wants. Lannie is not a nice girl but I hope you'll feel as I did, oddly intrigued and drawn to this child (as the book opens) and then the teen she becomes.


Lannie loves West but West's heart is drawn to another person, Meghan. That sets up the main plot and tension in this one. I'd argue that this is really only a way to focus on the REAL subject, unwanted or neglected children.

It doesn't take a huge leap of imagination to see the symbolism here between the teen with the lack of empathy, the hunger for love, the evil that seems to rest in her soul...and the detached family that seems to pay little attention to her. But the connection isn't heavy-handed and the author of this book balances that point with some fine characterizations, ones that teens and adults should find compelling.

There are also other aspects of teen life that are clearly delineated. First loves. Being accepted or being an outsider. Happy families and those that simply don't care about their children - or never think of them much.

This book moves along quickly,making it fine for reluctant readers as well as any teen. From the perspective of this adult, I couldn't help thinking about how often we fail our children, intentionally or not. After finishing this one, I went off to find my son and give him an extra hug.

IMPORTANT: In reading other reviews, people seemed to have problems with the ending. I did not. I do understand why it left readers wanting a sequel. I'd make the case that the author wanted the reader to imagine the ending. Some may see this as a cop-out but I saw it as a sign of hope in a book with plenty of darkness. ... Read more