Sweet 16 to Life

January 1, 2013
Chanti Evans is back in another episode of street-smart crime-solving in the Langdon Prep series. This third entry keeps her efforts close to home in more ways than one. The story opens fast, with Chanti responding to a fire a few doors away. It doesn't take much to alert her to the possibility that this episode is not what it seems. Despite her promises to her vice-cop mother, Lana, and the damage her investigations have done to her relationship with would-be love Marco, she gets deeply involved in her friend MJ's troubles with her old gang. In between homework and friends, Chanti worries about arson and potential violence. As if this is not enough to keep a girl busy in the days before her 16th birthday, Chanti and her mother find their close relationship strained when Chanti's long-absent father starts trying to contact them, resulting in more evasions by Lana about her parentage. Reid continues the snappy dialogue and clever storytelling of the previous volumes, and readers will detect real growth in Chanti as she works her way through her difficulties. There is a large cast to keep straight, and the crime itself is a bit complicated for a teen sleuth, but the secondary characters add nicely to the narrative, and there are times when Chanti's insight is laugh-out-loud humorous. A cliffhanger ending will have readers clamoring for more. (Mystery. 12 & up)

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April 1, 2013

Gr 8-10-Chanti Evans is on a case again in this delightful teen detective novel. The urban setting and multicultural cast of characters will appeal to a wide audience, as will the mix of mystery, danger, friendship, romance, and family drama. Daughter of an undercover vice cop, the 15-year-old has a way of finding trouble in her rough Denver neighborhood-this time when her next-door neighbor MJ's house catches fire and Chanti spots a suspicious young man in a hoodie. She's determined to help MJ, a former gang member, especially after MJ is arrested for possession of drugs and weapons. Meanwhile, Chanti-a scholarship student at a snooty private school-must deal with her overprotective mother and the truth about the father she's never met. On top of all this, she's still not over her ex. Luckily, Chanti is resourceful, working her neighborhood contacts, her mother's access to law-enforcement information, and her own street smarts to figure out what's really going on. The middle of the story is slow at times, but when Chanti decodes a set of clues in the form of DVD covers, the pace speeds up and suddenly her life is in danger. This is a suspenseful story with a clever, funny teen at its center and just enough grit to make it realistic. While this book could stand alone, readers may want to start at the beginning of the series. A tantalizing cliff-hanger of an ending hints at the next installment.-Miranda Doyle, Lake Oswego School District, OR

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