Full Ride
After 14-year-old Becca’s father is convicted of a clutch of financial crimes that attracted national attention, she and her mother flee from their Georgia home to Ohio in search of a new life of anonymity. “It’ll be like our own private witness protection program,” her mother promises. And for three years it seems to be just that. But now Becca is a senior in high school, and, while applying for a full-ride scholarship to college, she inadvertently reveals the truth of her identity. She quickly realizes that she has put her and her mother’s lives in danger; they might become the truest victims of her father’s crimes. But not everything is what it seems, and there are surprises ahead for Becca and the reader. Haddix’s latest thriller seems overlong at times, and Becca’s endless agonizing is occasionally tedious. That said, however, the premise is ingenious and well-realized, and the mounting suspense will hold readers’ attention to the satisfying conclusion. Haddix’s many fans will be pleased. Grades 7-12. --Michael Cart