Review: Great book for LDS youth
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 16, 2013
I would love to get this book to all the Beehives I teach!That said, obviously this is an LDS novel about how your friends can influence your decisions.  And the temptation to do things that you wouldn't normally do, simply because you are lonely.It isn't pivotal to the plot, but it took me about 1/2 the book to realize that the story takes place in Canada, which, once I figured that out a great many things about the book started to make sense.The main character was engaging, and I was able to understand her struggles and to sympathize with her.  I really liked the relationship between her and her brother.  It is so refreshing to see healthy relationships between teenage siblings.There are some other great characters but I especially liked the older brother's friend.  I literally melted when I found out why he called her Parakeet!The only thing I have against this book is how it seems to promote separating the LDS kids from the mainstream kids.  Really?  I am completely dumbfounded by that premise in the book. I am LDS and found it unrealistic, completely against what our religion teaches, and a lot snobbish.  FYI, You can be friends with non-LDS kids and still make great decisions.  It does, however,  illustrate the point that it is easier to make good decisions when you surround yourself with other people who share your values.I am curious to know what happened to her,her LDS friends and her non-LDS friends.  I looking forward to reading the next two books in the series.Overall, I would highly recommend this sweet little book.