Brutal

In telling the story of her battle to force her school to confront bullying, Poe Holly will represent for many young listeners their own outrage at the injustice of the teen pecking order. Narrator Kim Mai Guest captures the highly charged emotional reaction Poe has when her new neighbor, the odd but sweet Velveeta, becomes the target of brutal attacks by football jocks, whom the school refuses to discipline. From swelling indignation to knee-buckling sorrow, Guest makes Poe's character her own, skillfully conveying Poe's growth from passive cynic to triumphant firebrand. The combination of spot-on writing and gifted delivery keeps the undercurrent of tension and danger 'til the novel's last moment. D.G. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine