Sleight of Hand

September 15, 2015
Javvan, an immigrant to Canada from India, only wanted to impress a girl, but her brother gets him arrested for stealing a car. Javvan's strict probation officer, Mary, insists he get a job, but with his arrest record, Javvan can't find work. Mary steers him toward Kevin, owner of a construction company. Kevin seems like a good guy, but Javvan soon learns that along with his legal construction work, Kevin also steals from his clients-and promises to frame Javvan if he doesn't go along with the scheme. Trapped, Javvan finally tells his little brother, Sammy. An enthusiastic would-be magician, Sammy comes up with a way for Javvan to get evidence against Kevin. But can Javvan learn the sleight of hand he'll need in time? And if he pulls it off, whom can he trust to help him clear his name? Deen keeps her prose simple but the suspense clicking along in this brief novella. Javvan comes across as a nicely believable character, too flustered by his dilemma to think straight much of the time. She adds depth with Javvan's family, as his dishonorable act has earned him extra opprobrium. A brief but powerful look at a teen in trouble. (Fiction. 10-18)

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September 1, 2015

Gr 8 Up-Focusing on protagonists confronted with difficult choices, these slim novels pack a punch. Off the Grid involves Cody, whose parents raised him in the wilderness. When the family must return to civilization, Cody finds himself the ultimate square peg in a round hole and contemplates abandoning his parents in order to go back to the world he knows. Sleight of Hand centers on Javvan, whose criminal record makes finding a job impossible, until he meets Kevin. Now he faces a dilemma: help Kevin with a criminal scheme or go back to jail. In Foolproof, 17-year-old Daniel thinks that beautiful Cyn is the girl of his dreams, but he soon learns that he's no more than a means to an end: a way to help her move drugs. Written at a third-to-fourth-grade reading level but focusing on tough themes and subjects that will resonate with adolescents, these titles will immerse readers; the writing is to the point and immediate, the print size large, and the covers darkly enticing.

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