Save the Enemy

September 15, 2013
Reminiscent of A Wrinkle in Time, Greenwood's debut for teens twists and turns with mysterious men, real bullets and numerous candidates for worst parent ever.... Senior year is already off to a tough start for social misfit Zoey; now Dad's been kidnapped, the computer file that could save him is missing, autistic brother Ben is getting night visits from Mom's ghost, and cute high school classmate Pete is hanging around. Despite these complications, Zoey gives developing a social life her best shot, stopping at a party before taking the next investigative step and sometimes worrying more about what to wear than her missing dad. With a side trip down Memory Lane to patch things up with ex-best friend Molly, a meteorite killing a few alpacas, and Pete sharing initials (and more?) with a team of assassins, readers may empathize when Zoey notes that plans change "every fifteen minutes or thereabouts for reasons that don't seem entirely, sometimes even at all, obvious." Teens with a philosophical bent may find references to Kant, Nietzsche and Ayn Rand entertaining; those who appreciate adventure over plot will also be entertained, but others will wish an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink plot didn't distract from genuine teen dialogue and Zoey's frank inner discourse. Sometimes less really is more--or maybe it's just less confusing. (Thriller. 14 & up)

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November 1, 2013

Gr 9 Up-Part mystery-thriller, part coming-of-age tale, and part romance with a pinch of the paranormal, this debut novel doesn't seem to quite know what it wants to be. When Zoey Trask's father is kidnapped, the 17-year-old must find something called a "J-File" and hand it over to whomever has her father in custody. Her autistic younger brother, Ben, claims that their murdered mother is speaking to him in his dreams. He begins writing down a code of names and addresses that may be the key to finding their father. Then there's the mysterious love interest. Even though they barely know each other, Pete refuses to leave Zoey's side throughout the book. Unfortunately, while she periodically comments on his odd behavior, her hormones overshadow her suspicions. Zoey is a self-deprecating and reasonably likable character, but she doesn't quite come off sounding like a real teen. Too many SAT-type words feel randomly sprinkled in and may turn off some more reluctant readers. While most teen thrillers require some suspension of disbelief, there are just too many convenient plot elements here to make this one a true success. The pacing is decent and the story has potential but overall it is just too convoluted.-Kimberly Castle-Alberts, Hudson Library & Historical Society, OH

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2013
Grades 9-12 Zoey not only sees herself as the new girl at Shenandoah High, she feels like a secret Tragic Figure. After losing her mother to a random mugging and murder, Zoey moves from Rhode Island to Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, along with her ever-philosophizing dad and younger brother, Ben, who is a savant on the autistic spectrum. Her affluent, lacrosse-playing, and bookish-cool classmates are unaware of Zoey's tragic-figure circumstances. And in the midst of her family chaos, Pete, a good-looking, guitar-playing guardian angel, appears. Pete attaches himself to the family like a barnacle and even believes that Ben is receiving coded messages in his dreams from his recently departed mother's ghost. Clearly, Greenwood asks a lot from her readers. But they will be pulled by Zoey's strong inner compass and martial-arts prowess, both of which help to reinforce any suspension of belief as the plot moves along its gnarly yet buoyant way. Readers of detective, spy, and crime novels, as well as Ayn Rand fans, will find tidbits to enjoy as Zoey and family prevail against the odds.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)