Cut
Burdened with the pressure of believing she is responsible for her  brother's illness, 15-year-old Callie begins a course of self-destruction that  leads to her being admitted to Sea Pines, a psychiatric hospital the "guests"  refer to as Sick Minds. Although initially she refuses to speak, her individual  and group therapy sessions trigger memories and insights. Slowly, she begins  emerging from her miserable silence, ultimately understanding the role her  dysfunctional family played in her brother's health crisis.Patricia McCormick's first novel is authentic and deeply moving. Callie suffers  from a less familiar teen problem--she cuts herself to relieve her inner  frustrations and guilt. The hope and hard-won progress that comes at the  conclusion of the novel is believable and heartening for any teen reader who  feels alone in her (or his) angst. Along with Laurie Halse Anderson'sSpeakand E.L. Konigsburg'sSilent to the Bone,  McCormick'sCutexpertly tackles an unusual response to harrowing  adolescent trouble. (Ages 14 and older)--Emilie Coulter