FaceSpace

June 1, 2013

Gr 6-9-Both hi/lo titles deal with loneliness and isolation in high school and move at a brisk pace, but Vanish is the more successful title. When Danny invents a new persona on the Facebook knockoff site FaceSpace in hopes of increasing his popularity, he has difficulty managing both profiles. With phrases like "hey pal" and "partying is excellent" spoken throughout, the dialogue is unrealistic. Although dishonest online behavior is an important teen issue, it is dealt with in a superficial way here. In Vanish, 14-year-old Simone has just moved to a new school and is having difficulty making friends when, because of a class assignment, she forms a special bond with kindergartener Lily. As they start spending time together, Simone learns more about Lily's suspicious home life and starts to mistrust her divorced, bickering parents. While readers should be able to guess the ending before it arrives, Spafford-Fitz successfully builds the mood as she gradually reveals more about Lily's family.-Carrie Shaurette, Dwight-Englewood School, Englewood, NJ

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