Rites of Passage

May 19, 2014
Sam McKenna is about to be among the first young women to attend the all-male Denmark Military Academy, and her angry male peers hope to oust the girls before the first semester is over. Despite these odds, Sam is determined to make it: hers is a military family through and through, and before her brother Amos killed himself one year earlier, he dared Sam to attend the DMA, and she’s determined to honor that wish. Thus begins a year of punishing military training, huge expectations, terrible living conditions, and nonstop emotional and physical abuse for Sam, with precious few allies. Debut novelist Hensley, a former cadet herself, writes with substantial knowledge of academy life, hazing, and the parameters of military rank and file. The first half of the novel is a fascinating portrait of young women breaking military barriers, though the story becomes overdramatic, with over-the-top villains, conspiracy theories, and a decades-old secret military society. This aside, Sam is easy to root for as a heroine, and it’s a strong first showing for Hensley. Ages 13–up. Agent: Mandy Hubbard, D4EO Literary Agency.

Starred review from August 1, 2014
The absorbing story of the first girl to join a fictional military high school. Sam comes from a thoroughly military family, her father a legendary colonel who has raised all his kids as though they were in boot camp. Sam faces worse than that when she enters the Denmark Military Academy on a dare. Her fellow "recruits" don't want her there and remain determined to make her quit, and her squad leader, Cpl. Matthews, has apparently taken it upon himself to force her out. Even her own brother, the cadet colonel of the school, tells her to leave. Sam keeps up with most of the boys in their obstacle courses, marches and calisthenics, but when Matthews becomes increasingly abusive, as tough as she is, Sam struggles to hang on. Sam finds allies, especially in her drill sergeant, to whom she feels an enormous attraction. When she learns that a secret society lies behind the attacks against her, she fears for her life. Hensley keeps the tension high as she leads readers to anticipate the next attack on Sam. The narrative flows along terrifically as Sam courageously battles to make it even while the forces against her increase. The characters stand out as individual and real; readers will cheer Sam on throughout. Absolutely compelling. (Fiction. 14-18)

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December 1, 2014

Gr 9 Up-Sam McKenna can never turn down a dare, and before one of her older brothers committed suicide, he proposed the ultimate challenge-be one of the first females to matriculate and graduate from prestigious Denmark Military School. Her military family can do little to help her as Sam faces harassment, sexism, and outright abuse from members of an all-male secret society on campus. This group is determined that no females will remain at the academy, but they have vastly underestimated the protagonist's fortitude. Hensley's contemporary novel is not an easy read because of the graphic depictions of hazing, but this worthwhile addition to the YA realm is notable for its portrayal of a strong female in the face of adversity. For fans of Catherine Gilbert Murdock's "Dairy Queen" trilogy (Houghton Harcourt) and Trish Doller's Something Like Normal (Bloomsbury, 2012).-Amanda C. Buschmann, Atascocita Middle School, Humble, TX

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2014
Grades 8-12 Sixteen-year-old Sam McKenna is the product of a fiercely competitive military family. When her beloved brother Amos dares her to attend Denmark Military Academy as part of its first group of female students, she accepts the challenge. Sam's lieutenant-colonel father is distant and unsupportive, and her alcoholic mother, still reeling from Amos' recent suicide, refuses to encourage or help Sam in her bold decision. Sam's older brother Jonathan, the lead cadet at the academy, won't help her despite dangerous bullying from the secret Pandora Society, which has sworn to keep the school female free. Luckily, Sam's handsome drill sergeant and a number of fellow recruits band together to keep her safe and expose the murderous intentions of the Pandora Society. Though both the romance and the mystery elements are comfortably predictable, Hensley knows how to keep the reader hooked, with swift-paced action and a determined, courageous heroine. Hensley's obvious knowledge of the military will keep readers enthralled, and those from military families will appreciate her sympathetic portrayal of how military careers affect family relationships.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)