Review: Atlanta Burns is a charmer . . .
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 6, 2012
. . . who really engages the reader. Trash talking and with a bad attitude that anyone can understand given the mysterious troubles i her recent past, that Wendig slowly, teasingly exposes bit by bit from the first page on, Atlanta is a girl you really come to care about. I liked her -- come to think about it, she reminded me of more than one girl I dated back in the day :)I consider this a YA, if a strong one -- but even Harry Potter has sexual elements and graphic violence -- the limits for YA in terms of strong language and adult themes have really relaxed in the past few years, and I would consider this appropriate for any teen that has their head screwed on straight enough to handle it.I liked the character of Ms. Lewis, Atlanta's teacher. As the sole voice of adult reason and responsibility in the novel (the only other examples being either Atlanta's weak, damaged mother, or the racist fathers of the other characters) I enjoyed how Ms. Lewis called Atlanta on wallowing in her trauma. Because of (initially) unspecified actions and events in Atlanta's recent past, she is held in awe by her fellow classmates. Even as 'lone wolf' as she plays it, Atlanta has to relish the fear and regard she enjoys as a result -- it would be hard to let go of it if you felt you had nothing else going, but Ms. Lewis is right in admonishing Atlanta to move on and quit shirking life responsibilities.This was an enjoyable read if a bit short -- I look forward to reading Atlanta's further adventures, as Chuck indicates this is the debut feature in a series.