Choke

June 11, 2012
Windy longs to be part of the "in crowd," so she is thrilled when pretty, confident Nina transfers to her middle school and takes an interest in her. But the popular new girl has a dangerous secret: she likes playing the choking game, in which a girl strangles a friend until she passes out. "That's what makes us breath sistersâwe put our lives in each other's hands. Can you think of a better way to prove your friendship?" Nina asks Windy. The game is not only about trust but also, Windy learns, about getting high from oxygen deprivation, and Nina soon has many girls participating. Windy is conflicted, but plays along until things go too far. López (Confetti Girl), a former middle school teacher writing from personal experience, weaves facts about the choking game into her story and includes a list of online resources. Secondary story lines add little, but readers will relate to Windy's struggle, which is honestly related. An educational, issue-driven read that could be a useful discussion starter. Ages 12âup. Agent: Stefanie Von Borstel, Full Circle Literary.

June 1, 2012
A tale of friendship and trust intersects with a problem novel about dangerous behaviors among middle schoolers. Windy Soto is solidly GP: "general public." She's neither a loner nor popular, neither a brain nor a failure, and she spends her days happily making Top Five... lists. When charismatic new girl Nina appears and completely upends the school's social hierarchy, Windy sees her chance to jump into the in-crowd. Brushing off her dorky and lovable best friend, Windy joins Nina at lunch tables and secret bathroom conferences. Nina invites Windy to be her "breath sister," surely Windy's ticket to the in-crowd at last. But being a breath sister requires Windy be willing to play the choking game--a.k.a. "sleeper hold" and "suffocation roulette"--and she comes to realize with horror that the scarves Nina always wears around her neck cover the bruises from this dreadful pastime. Tragedy strikes, and a character is left disabled. In the absence of alternate representations of disability, this damage--portrayed lavishly through the eyes of more virtuous characters--turns disability into punishment for bad behavior. What had been a touching story of honesty and self-discovery devolves in the final pages into an over-the-top public-service announcement, and Windy's final Top Five... list reads like a brochure from the school nurse. Though pegged by the publisher for ages 12 and up, both writing style and Windy's age argue for a preteen audience. Surprisingly real, until the mawkish Afterschool Special finale. (author's note, resources) (Fiction. 9-11)

COPYRIGHT(2012) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

December 1, 2012

Gr 6-8-Eighth-grader Windy isn't in the in crowd or the out crowd at her socially stratified San Antonio school; rather, she is relegated to the "general public" with the other nondescript students. Her friend Elena is happy to pursue her own interests (from figure skating to science experiments) without worrying about what others think, but Windy longs to climb the social ladder. She sees her chance when Nina, the cool new girl, befriends her. The girls bond over crushes and trips to the mall, but although Nina initially seems like a positive influence, raising Windy's confidence and encouraging her to stand up for herself, she eventually convinces Windy to become her "breath sister." This involves playing the choking game, in which one participant chokes the other until he or she passes out, achieving a sort of dizzy high in the process. Parts of Choke read like an afterschool special, and this lack of subtlety may be off-putting for more mature readers. However, the book does raise important issues, and many readers will sympathize with Windy as an everygirl who must make difficult decisions in the midst of intense social pressure.-Gesse Stark-Smith, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.