Thank you for visiting.
This content is exclusive to subscribers only.
As a digital subscriber, you’ll receive unlimited access to Horn Book web exclusives and extensive archives, as well as access to our highly searchable Guide/Reviews Database.
To access other site content, visit The Horn Book homepage.
Log In
Don't have a Horn Book Account?
Register Now
Register Now
Atkins, Catherine
3 Reviews
(3)
YA
Fifteen-year-old Angelyn feels friendless and alone. She takes comfort from the kindness of her teacher, but their relationship turns complicated. Disbelief, gossip, and lies (sometimes her own) batter the protagonist as she struggles with the sexual molestation she suffered as a child. Strong scenes, built almost entirely on dialogue, and conflicted characters with complex and realistic problems give this fast-moving novel heft.
Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac
(2)
YA
Susan has been sentenced to an afterschool discussion group for her alleged involvement in vandalizing another student's truck. This may be the least of her problems: she's the school fat girl, and it doesn't help that her dad, the football coach, refuses to discuss Susan's mother, dead five years. Predictably, involvement in the group helps Susan with all this, but in a believably gradual way and not always in expected directions.
Reviewer: Roger Sutton
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
March, 2003
(3)
YA
Nearly three years after being abducted, sixteen-year-old Jeff is released by his kidnapper. The plaintive first-person narrative details Jeff's readjustment to family and friends, his guilt over the sexual abuse he suffered, and the continued presence of Ray, the abductor who continues to make ominous appearances even after Jeff is home. Not every aspect of this debut novel is fully convincing, but much is brutally honest and compelling.
Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta
3 reviews
We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing.