Autographed.

Advance copy. ( )

Cliques; friendship; family dynamics; eating disorder ( )

Kirsten has issues. She's gained weight and worries about the size of
her butt. Her best friend Rory is cozying up to the school queen bees
who make Kirsten feel bad about herself. And her parents have been
arguing and fighting a lot lately. Walk is new to Kirsten's private school. Previously he attended City, not the best school for a smart boy like himself. It is not easy being one of the few black students in school; a lot of comments and looks make him feel suspect. His mother Sylvia drills into him the importance of working twice as hard as anyone else to prove himself. Kirsten's and Walk's lives collide when they find out Kirsten's dad is also Walk's biological father and he has funded Walk's attendance at the private school. This revelation and discussions about adult relationships and being pregnant and single may not be appropriate for certain families, but it certainly happens and some kids are savvy to it. ( )

Young Reader Reaction: I enjoyed the book, but didn’t love it. Its ongoing and suspenseful plot kept to turning the pages. The main characters’ feelings were enhanced by their realization of who they are, and the striking differences between them and other people. A lot of the concepts mentioned in this book are related to family problems. The parents fight, the kids worry, then everybody lives happily ever after. My favorite part of the story was when Kirsten’s dad Mac, told her that she could fix things. She didn’t believe in herself throughout the book, but with the trust of her dad, Kirsten really thought she could do it. And she did. I recommend this book to readers who love a good story about family history secrets. Also, if you enjoy reading the kinds of things popular girls in schools do their classmates, then this book is for you too.

Adult Reader Reaction: Review pending.

Pros: Because the story is told by the two main characters, readers get different perspectives of what's happening. That helps add to the suspense.

To read our full review, go to The Reading Tub®.