Narc

July 2, 2012
Chappell’s story of a teen caught up in a drug investigation avoids the saccharinity of many redemptive tales, but is weakened by thin characters and convoluted plot acrobatics. When high school senior Aaron is pulled over for running a red light, he takes the blame for the pot his 14-year-old sister has stashed on her. The officer bullies Aaron into accepting a deal to work undercover to figure out who is distributing drugs in his Miami high school, which requires the introverted teen to mingle with other kids. As Aaron tries to get information and stay out of jail, he is attracted to goth girl Morgan and her friends, who might be involved with the drug deals. Chappell (Total Constant Order) has a compelling concept, but too many moments are jarring or forced, whether it’s Morgan’s Facebook profile featuring her cutting scars, the implausibility of a traffic officer recruiting an informant, or the muddled climax. Readers may be drawn in by Aaron’s concern for his safety and family, but there’s not much beneath the surface. Ages 14–up. Agent: Tina Wexler, ICM.

July 1, 2012
Taking the fall for his little sister leads to big trouble for 17-year-old Aaron Foster. Aaron is the quiet kid, the one who blends into the wallpaper and who stays out of trouble. But when his sister is caught with a small bag of (his) marijuana, Aaron is coerced into signing up for the police informant program and tasked with unmasking a high school dealer. Forcing himself into the right social sphere isn't easy, and Aaron's interrogation skills leave something to be desired. Labeled a snitch in the swampy ecosystem of his Florida high school, Aaron finds that untangling interpersonal connections is complicated at best, and it becomes nearly impossible when he develops feelings for one of his prime suspects. Though she sticks with the Florida setting that served her so well in her first novel, Total Constant Order (2007), Chappell suffers from the sophomore slump, with a thin premise, emotionally dull characters and a slow pace. That the police would recruit a withdrawn and disconnected student to become a social informer stretches credulity. Brief references to Aaron's drug use and panic attacks constitute his characterization, and secondary characterization is equally scanty. Tension never develops, even as Aaron wades into the murky territory of drug sales and dealers. Falls flat. (Fiction. 14 & up)

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August 1, 2012

Gr 10 Up-Miami's Palm Hammock High School, known as "The Pharmacy," has a reputation for being a party school. Seventeen-year-old Aaron has stayed away from the parties, making few friends and occasionally smoking pot but remaining invisible to the drug crowd. His uneventful life changes abruptly with the death of his father. When he and his sister are pulled over and a policeman finds marijuana on her, Aaron is coerced into becoming an informant to lead police to the school's main supplier. Suddenly he is on uncomfortable ground, reinventing himself to fit in with popular classmates. As he struggles with his father's death and his mother's indifference, he finds himself in a position where he must now betray the friends he has made to stay out of jail. A Halloween rave will put all of the major players in the grasp of the police, and Aaron must decide whom he will protect. He is surrounded by teenagers whose parents don't or can't properly care for them, and many of the students are exposed as both fearless and intensely vulnerable. However, the character and plot development pick up only after a slow beginning, which may deter readers from continuing. If teens stick with the story and accept the implausible circumstances that lead to Aaron's position as a narc, they will enjoy the suspense as he battles paranoia and fulfills his mission without abandoning his convictions.-Caroline Hanson, Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter High School, Washington, DC

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