Brutal

June 1, 2009
Gr 8 Up-Poe Holly's mother has left for South America, obviously caring more about healing sick strangers in the jungle than being a parent to her own daughter. Sixteen-year-old Poe is sent off to live with her long-absent father in her mother's absence. Starting a new school, making new friends, and getting to know the man who is her father would be enough for any teen, but not for Poe. After meeting her much-picked-on neighbor, a misfit boy nicknamed Velveeta, she also takes on the crusade to change the school's unfair policies and end the reign of the bully making Velveeta's life miserable. Poe is a likable teen who speaks her mind and stands up for what she believes. The bullying and the strong language are realistic, and the author does not shy away from the violence of Velveeta's situation. "Brutal" can be just that, but teens who pick up this book will discover well-developed characters and a plot that seizes their attention at the very beginning and holds it captive throughout the story."Heather E. Miller, Homewood Public Library, AL"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2009
Grades 9-12 Sixteen-year-old Poe Holly is the outcome of a sperm donor program called Poor Choices and Bad Mistakes. Her workaholic mother has taken a year off to practice medicine in South America, unloading Poe into the custody of a father shes never met, a straitlaced counselor at Poes new school. The pierced and mohawked Poe mostly abhors the homogeneity and elitism of her suburban classmates, though she finds two exceptions: the whip-smart punk-rocker son of the town mayor, and Velveeta, the troubled pariah on the hit list of Colby, the schools untouchable bully. There is little earth-shattering here, but thats part of the books low-key charm; Harmons dialogue is crystal clear and authentic, his youth characters intelligent, and his adult characters finely drawn. The central conflictthe growing hostility between Colby and Velveetaleads to an ending of contrivance, but that should not take away from an admirably realistic portrayal of a rebel coming to realize that rebellion can be elitist, too.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)