Destination Unknown
Gr 8 Up—High school senior Whitney Jean Richards appears to have it all: security, status, success. She drives a brand-new car and lives in a large brick colonial, complete with an Olympic-size swimming pool. Pretty and popular, she reigns as both the captain of the cheerleading squad and girlfriend of the football team captain. With a 4.0 grade point average, the teen has been accepted to all three of her top college choices. But cracks in Whitney's idyllic life begin to surface when she gets a D on a Calculus test. Outraged, her critical and controlling mother demands that Whitney bring her grade up with the help of a tutor. Enter Taylor Martinez, a motorcycle-riding math genius from the wrong side of town. What starts off as a rebellious flirtation evolves into true love, as the two young people bond over their deep, shared faith in God. Fans of YA Christian fiction will appreciate the guiding role which prayer plays in Whitney's journey toward self-discovery. Unfortunately, readers who enjoyed Clipston's Roadside Assistance (Zondervan, 2011) will be disappointed by this book's comparative lack of authenticity and depth. A narrow worldview persists throughout and conveys a certain judgmental smugness. For example, Whitney feels "truly blessed to come from a family that was still intact," while Taylor is pitied for "growing up without a father." Predictable plot and flat writing make this a strictly additional purchase.—Susan Wengler, Saint Dominic Academy, Jersey City, NJ