Messed Up
Grade 6–9—Fifteen-year-old R.D., part Mexican, part Cheyenne, lives in the San Joaquin Valley with his grandmother and her long-term boyfriend, Earl, until she splits town with a new man. Meanwhile, R.D. gets suspended his first day repeating eighth grade when he stops a fight between two "brown girls" wearing rival gang colors and doesn't correct the assistant principal when he assumes otherwise. Then Earl suddenly dies. The teen's mom is in prison, and his migrant, Mexican father is MIA, so, in order to avoid a group home, he decides to cover up the fact that he is now living on his own. On the surface, Lynch paints a story that could appeal to reluctant readers. However, R.D. has none of the discernable life skills a boy in his situation might pick up, such as doing laundry, and this unrealistic portrayal could be a plot killer for many readers. Also, his bad decisions—like forging the signature on and depositing Earl's Social Security and pension checks—are brushed aside, and things are neatly resolved when the executor of Earl's will helps R.D. avoid criminal consequences and secure his independence.—Adrienne L. Strock, Maricopa County Library District, AZCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.