Comeback

April 1, 2010
Gr 6 Up-Ria's dad is charming, happy-go-lucky, and rich. Too bad Ria is stuck living with her mother, who works hard, worries about money, and is usually tired and cranky. Her father shows up unexpectedly in a 1962 LeSabre and, in a grandiose gesture, hands the keys to his daughter's boyfriend. Ria decides to tell her parents that it would be so much better for everyone if she lived with her dad. But then his plane is reported down, in an assumed suicide. What is worse is that Ria's beloved father is now much maligned; apparently he was swindling his customers. In denial and in defense of him, Ria runs away with her brother in tow. Some plot elements are unbelievable; for example, adults don't inform the authorities of a teenage girl who is either homeless or a runaway, hauling around a little kid. Nonetheless, reluctant and struggling readers will be satisfied by the compelling story."Jake Pettit, Thompson Valley High School, Loveland, CO"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2010
Grades 6-10 Ria is angry enough when her mother separates from her dad, but after he disappears while piloting his own plane, she decides to start a completely new life. With her five-year-old brother in tow, she runs away from home. When the realities of being on her own sink in, though, she soon realizes her folly, but she refuses to return to a home and town where, she has discovered, her dad scammed his clients out of millions in savings. Part of the Orca Soundings imprint targeted at reluctant readers, Grants novel folds drama and suspense into a story that carries echoes of our countrys current financial woes. Although the novel's brief length doesnt allow for in-depth characterization or an intricate plot or setting, its premise will quickly grab readers, who will empathize with Rias disillusionment and split-second, bad decision making.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2010
Ria adores her father, so when it appears that he may have defrauded investors and even faked his own death, Ria's world collapses. Running away seems like the only answer, but Ria's adventure turns nightmarish and she must return to face her problems. Although superficial, this topical melodrama is a quick and entertaining read.

(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)