THE LOWDOWN:
Kate Franklin’s life changes for the better when her dad lands a job at Beacon Prep, an elite private school with one of the best basketball teams in the state. In a blog of prose and poetry, Kate chronicles the experience of dating a player, being caught up in a world of idolatry and entitlement, and discovering the perks the inner circle enjoys.
But those perks come at a price. At a party, one of her boyfriend’s teammates takes his power too far and assaults Kate. She knows she should speak out, but her dad tries to silence her in an effort to protect the team. The world that once welcomed Kate has betrayed her, and she must decide whether to stay quiet or expose the corruption, destroying her father’s career and bringing down a town’s heroes.
FIRST IMPRESSION:
My brother, Dad, and I do the majority of our communicating using Post-it notes; whoever invented them must make a fortune from the three of us alone.
—ARC paperback edition
SNAPSHOT:
In the wake of the Steubenville case, this stand-alone debut tells a powerful tale—one that, unfortunately, is all too plausible and will resonate with victims of past emotional and sexual abuse. Kate’s first person narrative, interspersed with posts and poetry from her private blog, drags readers into the soft corners of her life as she ultimately steps up to be her own person and defend against those who have neglected and abused her.
While her father drifts in and out of Kate’s story, her brother and his eventual girlfriend are islands of sanity in an ocean otherwise filled with self-absorbed elitists and flimsy friendships. Though the general plot points may be predictable, it is that very fact—how Kate’s ordeal might feel typical for the reader—that is the most gut-wrenchingly rage inducing. The entitlement of the Beacon students wafted off the pages, and never more apparent than through Kate’s apologies and defense to her brother for the many abusive people she befriends.
Appropriate for ages 14+. Some strong language, sexual and sexually violent situations. Alcohol and drug use in teenagers.
Sensitively deals with first love, death and grief, emotional abuse, bullying, sexual assault, and the abuse of power and carte blanche often given to hometown heroes.
The author would be wise to make Kate’s fictional site, allmytruths.com, an interactive reality.
Readers should be strongly encouraged to gently discuss how Kate’s story parallels and differs from real life assault cases, how some people choose to stay quiet and others choose to speak up. May also open conversations on date/friend rape and how to help a friend in trouble.
GET IT ON YOUR SHELF:
If you…
– Have ever been bullied or abused, or know someone who has
– Know what it’s like to have toxic friendships
– Need a heroine whose heart is vulnerable but whose spirit is resilient
– Want an emotionally gripping book that could have been ripped from today’s headlines
THE ESSENTIALS:
Contemporary YA drama
Hardcover & Ebook, 288 pages
Published August 1st, 2013 by Medallion Press (ISBN9781605425870)
http://medallionmediagroup.com/books/canary/
(Review copy provided by Jeanne Chybik at Medallion Press.)