High School Pick: Out of Reach (finalist National Book Award for Young People's Literature

watch the book trailer here

Out of Reach
by Carrie Arcos
Simon Pulse
2012
250 pages

Out of Reach will grab teens up and take them along on a road trip to find a lost soul. Micah is Rachel's older and deeply troubled brother. Rachel feels guilty that she didn't try to stop Micah from falling deeper into the drug life. She knows he's headed for trouble, but she ignores it and then realizes that maybe...just maybe...she could have done something or said something that would have saved him.

Rachel reaches out to Tyler, Micah's best friend. Although Tyler hasn't been hanging around Micah much during his downfall, he may be her best bet in finding and saving Micah. They drive down to San Diego and search the beaches and streets looking for some sign of Micah. Everywhere they turn, they find people who don't want to talk. There are some dealers who may know Micah, but they won't talk to Rachel.

Rachel knows that Micah was in trouble--probably with one or more dealers. When she finds a woman who knows Micah, the news is not good. Rachel comes to the realization that sometimes people who get lost don't ever want to be found. She becomes closer to Tyler and learns to let her brother go.

Out of Reach is a touching and poignant story of a family broken by drug abuse. It is a story about a teen girl coming to grips with the loss of her brother and learning to forgive herself. She has to let him go in order to heal and live.

Recommended grade 9-up. Drug references, shady people, adult situations.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this novel from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

High School Pick: Burnout

Burnout
by Adreinne Maria Vrettos
McElderry Books
2011
193 pages

click here to read an excerpt


Caustic, cutting, creepy, and dangerous, yet achingly poignant, Burnout is the 21st century's Go Ask Alice.

It's the day after Halloween, and Nan wakes up in a subway car--disheveled and dirty, hungover and ill, with no memory of how she got there, where she's been, or why she's wearing a plastic dress a couple of sizes smaller than she is. A subway worker helps her up and loans her his jacket and offers to call for help, but before the police can arrive, Nan is on the run. Whatever happened, she can't talk to the police. They will think she's a runaway or an addict and take her into custody. She's been clean for months, but now Nan feels like she's been drugged.

The only way she can find out what happened to her is to retrace her steps from the night before. Her memory begins coming back in bits and pieces and she realizes that she's the lucky one. She is still alive, but where is her friend Seemy?

The book is written in jumps and starts, skipping over information and then throwing in bits and pieces to emulate the way Nan is processing information and remembering things. This is at first a bit jarring, then the reader is able to appreciate the author's craft. A quick read for reluctant readers and a sure page turner, this novel is easily read in one sitting.

Recommended for grades 9-up. Drugs, mature situations, alcohol, drug rehab.

FTC Required Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.