Eye Sore

May 1, 2015
Grades 5-8 Everyone has secrets. Afraid of tarnishing his father's dream, Chaz Higgins keeps his dizzying relationship with heights a secret and takes a summer job running the new North Vancouver Eye (Ferris wheel) that his dad designed. Chaz, on the other hand, dreams of dancing. Snatching every moment he can to practice for an upcoming talent competition, he slides, taps, and rhythmically punches through the book. When a negative newspaper article runs about the Eye, an angry crowd of protesters quickly turns the grand opening celebration sour. Acts of vandalism followbut why? Chaz's mental wheels start turning, and he Gene Kellys his way through the evidence; but can he stop the saboteurs, even if it means confronting his old foe, vertigo? This high/low novel offers readers a mild mystery with an atypical leading man. His propensity to dance his problems away is often at odds with the plot's intended tension; however, it succeeds in ushering in themes of bullying, following one's dreams, and confronting fears. A rocky but entertaining ride.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)