Choker

November 22, 2010
Life has not been easy for 16-year-old Cara, who's all but ignored at school and at home, with attorney parents who are almost always at work. After popular girls Alexis and Sydney begin to taunt her with the nickname "Choker" following an incident in the cafeteria, Cara is at her breaking point when her childhood friend Zoe shows up out of nowhere, saying she ran away from her abusive stepfather and begging to hide in Cara's room. At first it is comforting to have Zoe around, but it soon becomes a chore to cater to her unpredictable moods and jealous behavior. The speed with which the book's events take a turn for the worse and then for the better—within a week, Cara almost chokes to death, Zoe shows up after a seven-year absence, one mean girl dies, another disappears, and Cara's social life improves drastically—may clue some readers in that something is up; a twist ending redeems debut author Woods's psychological thriller somewhat. But an overall lack of plausibility robs the story of much of its tension. Ages 14–up.

May 1, 2011

Gr 9 Up-After choking on a carrot in the cafeteria, Cara is harassed by the popular girls at her school and given the nickname "Choker." She longs for her old life with her best friend, Zoe, who is no longer there. Coincidentally, Zoe shows up at Cara's house needing a place to stay, but says Cara's parents cannot know because they might tell the police. Cara's life changes dramatically with Zoe's presence. She gets a date with the cutest boy in school after his girlfriend goes missing in the wake of her best friend's death. Wondering if Zoe, who has started to behave bizarrely, has anything to do with these strange goings-on, Cara considers alerting the authorities before her friend disappears. There is an ongoing struggle between the girls. The protagonist is multi-layered and well-drawn. Subtle clues are given in regard to the nature of her true relationship with Zoe, but it is not spelled out completely until the end. The pacing is both chaotic and measured, and some parts of the tale are dark and violent. The taut mood is sustained throughout, and the plot's unpredictability will lead readers to finish the book in one sitting. With similarities to Jacquelyn Mitchard's Now You See Her (HarperTempest, 2007), Choker is sure to be a hit with fans of psychological thrillers.-Lori A. Guenthner, Baltimore County Public Library, Randallstown, MD

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2010
Grades 9-12 In this creepy psychological thriller, something disturbing is happening in the background while 16-year-old Cara narrates, oblivious; and readers will relish hunting for the clues. Cara is relieved when her best friend, Zoe, whom she hasnt seen since moving away in fifth grade, appears at her house needing a hiding place. Cara is ridiculed at schoolafter a disastrous cafeteria incident, the mean girls call her chokerbut Zoe always knows what to do. With her help, Cara successfully makes over her image, but the better Cara does, the more resentful Zoe becomes. When one mean girl drowns and another disappears, Cara starts wondering why Zoe has returned, and what she is hiding from. Right from the prologue, when young Zoe cajoles Cara to eat her moms zombie pills, its clear that their obsessive relationship is twisted, but Woods plays with readers expectations well enough to keep us guessing at Zoes true nature. Terrific pacing and mounting suspense lead to a resolution that may not surprise savvy readers but is nonetheless chilling.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)