(4) YA Orca Soundings series. Angie and her mother and brother are living in their car while they wait for public housing and for her absent father to return. When she starts participating in poetry slams, Angie finds some comfort. The solutions to the family's problems are offered too easily, rendering the characters passive; but the resourceful family is likable, and readers will be invested in the story's outcome.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(4) YA Orca Soundings series. After his parents' death, Nick is sucked into the illegal operations of a bicycle chop shop. His flimsy reasoning--that his foster parents will reject him and his sister if he doesn't replace the TV she broke--is not borne out by the sunny ending, but the swift plot escalation and clear character hooks will satisfy hi-lo readers.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(3) YA Orca Soundings series. Brothers Will and Big O drive on board the ferry hoping to leave their life of foster homes and crime behind. But before they even leave the car deck, they find a kidnapped girl and her deadly assailant. All the necessary elements for a successful hi-lo book are here, and reluctant readers will keep turning the pages.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(3) YA Orca Soundings series. Following the death of her mother, fifteen-year-old Ally is broke and adrift until she encounters a fire-breathing busker, Tate, and begins to contemplate using her own acrobatic skills to become a street performer. The tight-knit (and sometimes contentious) community of young and talented buskers comes to life vividly in this appealing story for reluctant readers.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) YA Orca Soundings series. After his parents abruptly break up and move out, Cameron and his dog become homeless; Cam then joins forces with another homeless friend, Mackenzie, to beg for money and find food and shelter. The complex subject is treated simplistically, though Cam's desperation rings true. Related in choppy but easy-to-read sentences, the teens' plight may attract its intended reluctant-reader audience.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(4) YA Orca Soundings series. Mick worries about ex-girlfriend Jade's four-year-old brother, who suffers from migraines. As Gavin's migraines worsen and Jade grows overwhelmed, Mick winds up taking care of them both. Mick's narration alternates with Jade's diary entries; the two perspectives reveal Jade's machinations (and her skewed sense of reality). Good-guy Mick and control-freaky, attention-hungry Jade are fairly flat characters, but the final reveal is well supported.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(4) YA Orca Soundings series. In alternating chapters, sixteen-year-old Amy and her boyfriend, Eric, tell the story of Amy's abduction. While Amy completes a strange task for her kidnapper--to write short essays on each of the deadly sins--and attempts to escape, Eric searches for Amy and the perpetrators. This story about survival and redemption has an intriguing plot but a dissatisfying resolution.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(4) YA Orca Soundings series. A boy who can't quite shake the memory (or guilt) of seeing his little brother drown lands himself in a dangerous situation after he takes a job at a sketchy wilderness resort. A great amount of exposition and a two-dimensional villain weaken this otherwise intriguing hi-lo novel appropriate mostly for reluctant readers specifically looking for ghost stories.

Reviewer: April Spisak

(3) YA Orca Soundings series. Fed up with his parents, seventeen-year-old Theo ditches their family vacation for a Hollywood road trip with his former babysitter, Ronnie, and her son. Theo finds himself in over his head, however, when he realizes that Ronnie isn't telling him the whole truth. Reluctant readers will appreciate the straightforward writing style and mature exploration of kidnapping and alcoholism.

Reviewer: Barratt Miller

(4) YA Orca Soundings series. Three teens are involved in a local controversy regarding their secretive nighttime graffiti: is it art or just a crime? When a town politician becomes the focus of a billboard mural, a battle of wits ensues between the high-schoolers and the law. This hi-lo novel suffers from some forced dialogue, but action and a thought-provoking premise will draw reluctant readers.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(3) YA Orca Soundings series. Sick of witnessing not only the bullying at his high school but also the revenge taken on those who rat out the bullies, Colin decides to adopt the rat as his personal mascot and to wage an often painful and risky one-man war against bullies. This short novel of satisfying vigilantism offers no easy answers to a complicated problem.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) YA Orca Soundings series. Riding his bike, Kenzie hits a pedestrian, seriously injuring her. When it turns out that the victim is Kenzie's ex-girlfriend, everyone starts questioning whether the incident was really an accident--including Kenzie himself, who launches his own investigation when the cops jump to conclusions. Although character development is minimal, quick pacing and numerous plot turns will hold reluctant readers' interest.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) YA Orca Soundings series. Sam says he'll do anything to be a champion cyclist, but his actions and attitude belie his words. He gets one last chance when a former Olympic racer agrees to coach him and gives him a job as a courier. The fast-paced, action-packed plot and tight, concise writing will likely lure--and keep the attention of--the reluctant readers this series targets.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(4) YA Orca Soundings series. When Mac gives away her most valued possessions and disappears, Daniel knows she's in trouble. Daniel deduces her location (a little too quickly), and with his mom's help, finds Mac hanging by a rope. Her attempted suicide--the final event in this quick read--is gratuitously graphically detailed. However, the story will educate readers about suicide warning signs.

Reviewer: Sophie Williamson

(4) YA Orca Soundings series. Daniel and Nick get swept up into a citywide riot after a sporting event. After an impetuous decision, Daniel is revered as a hero while Nick is busted; Daniel must choose between upholding his reputation and confessing. Tullson rushes into the conflict and doesn't develop the characters, but the topical premise of this short novel is well suited for reluctant readers.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(4) YA Orca Soundings series. As punishment for a school prank he's falsely accused of, "A-student jock superstar" Elliot is sent to clean out the old boathouse on a Friday afternoon with purple-haired goth girl Shannon. After Shannon makes a Ouija board, frightening events ensue, and the odd pair must work together to solve a murder. Some lame dialogue hampers this fast-paced, engaging mystery.

Reviewer: Betsy Thomas

(4) YA Orca Soundings series. Ever since causing the crash that killed his best friend, Logan, Tom fears racing; meanwhile, he toils to pay off repairs to his car. Tom also faces losing the vehicle and messing up his relationship with Hannah (who was Logan's girlfriend). The story is slight but accessible; reluctant readers may be drawn to the subject matter and the short, melodramatic sentences.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(3) YA Orca Soundings series. Bex is an "urban explorer." He gets into abandoned buildings and places, takes pictures, and gets out. When new-to-school Kieran convinces Bex to push his personal limits and moral boundaries with the promise of money, adrenaline-inducing events occur. Tight, concise writing, along with a fast-moving plot, makes this a good choice for struggling and reluctant readers.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(4) YA Orca Soundings series. After a breakup, Jayden's mom sends him to Australia to spend time with Uncle Mel, a scientist. What was supposed to be a relaxing getaway takes a turn for the worse when an accident strands Jayden, Mel, and Natalie, a biology student, in the Outback. The story line is farfetched, but there's some drama and excitement to the survival tale.

Reviewer: Pearl Higgins

(4) YA Orca Soundings series. Tara copes with her sister Hannah's suicide by performing slam poetry. Her poems are presented in italics throughout the book; first-person narration describes performance aspects ("Here's where I speed up and get louder") and tells Tara's story. The dialogue occasionally strains for a teen voice, but detailed descriptions of the competitive slam poetry world are vivid and engaging.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen