Slumber party (A Point paperback)
Grade 7-10 Six teenage girls in a luxurious winter vacation home experience a series of bizarre and violent incidents during a blizzard that makes communication and travel difficult. Old secrets weigh heavily on the group. Lara has explained to newcomer Celeste that Nell's facial scars were caused by a tragic fire during the group's last slumber party, but she is unable to talk about the death that also occurred. For a while, Lara is pleasantly distracted by handsome Percy, but tension returns when Dana disappears. Where she was last seen, only melted snow, ash, and bone remain. New horrors multiply as the plot races to a surprising and violent end. The easy vocabulary will appeal to reluctant readers, and the light cursing won't bother most students. In spite of simplistic characterization and some incredulous plot elements, a mood of mystery and terror prevails. While critically mature readers may question the idea that parents would stage a mock funeral because a disfigured child doesn't fit the image that they wish to project, this and other elements of sensationalism will appeal to non-criticial readers. Cindy Darling Codell, Belmont Junior High School, Winchester, Ky.Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.