Playing in Traffic
Grade 10 Up–Weird Goth-girl Skye has singled out Matt for attention. He's not sure why, since he's always tried his best to remain anonymous. He agrees to meet with her secretly and likes the excitement she adds to his life. When Skye claims that her stepfather abuses her and that her stepsister suffers from Down's syndrome, Matt feels compelled to "save" her. When another student warns him that Skye is not what she seems, Matt notices inconsistencies in her version of events and begins to question why she lures him to her parents' beach house for intimacy. The characterization and teen dialogue are mostly on target, with the exception of the remarkable maturity of Matt's 13-year-old sister. His self-questioning and paralysis when under stress will sound familiar to teens but the conclusion is disappointing. There are way too many loose ends, and Skye's sinister over-the-top demands detract from the character study of a quiet young man and a deeply disturbed girl.–Karen Hoth, Marathon Middle/High School, FLCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.