Reviews

Gr 8 Up-Benji moves in with his emotionally distant father and well-meaning stepmother, Janet, to escape his alcoholic mother's boyfriend's sexual abuse. Unfortunately, he can't escape his demons. He spends his days at his Oregon high school scribbling his misery in notebooks and getting stoned with other misfits. His only hopeful thoughts are of Lacie, the troubled girl he left behind. These feelings become conflicted when he is attracted to Rianna, a popular girl from a poor family who works hard to achieve the goals set by her parents. Benji's inner turmoil, though authentic to his situation, grows tiresome, and the plot becomes mired in overwritten self-flagellation. James's female characters shine; Rianna and Lacie are both sharply drawn in relatively few strokes. Earnest, levelheaded Janet is the unlikely heroine, and her gentle absolution when Benji confesses his abuse defies centuries of stepmother stereotyping. This poignant climactic scene is masterfully written and points the story smoothly to its satisfying, uplifting conclusion. Unfortunately, the narrative's lulling pace and somber mood may put teens off before they reach these triumphant last pages. Though less subtle than Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson's Target (Millbrook, 2003), James's portrait of male post-rape depression is heartbreaking and believable.-Johanna Lewis, New York Public Library Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.