The Light Fantastic

June 13, 2016
Four days after the Boston Marathon bombing, another crisis is brewing. Someone known as “the Mastermind” is using an online forum to lure students into becoming assassins. Meanwhile, potential victims carry on with business, regretting mistakes and pondering life, unaware of how their past and present actions could make them targets. In a psychologically taut novel structured in short vignettes that alternate among multiple viewpoints, Combs (Breakfast Served Anytime) delves into the thoughts of could-be killers and their prey to show unique frailties, as well as a common yearning for happiness. Cursed with a near-perfect memory for dates, April only wants to forget the tragedies marking the days of her birthday month. Miles away, April’s childhood friend Lincoln is trying to figure out the mystery of a girl he’s attracted to. Another girl, Phoebe, has trouble finding joy and connection to loved ones after a crushing humiliation. Although readers may feel the author’s hand controlling the characters and plot too heavily at times, the narrative voices are genuine and moving. Unexpected moments of tenderness and salvation cast a shining light into the dark realities presented. Ages 12–up. Agent: Elizabeth Kaplan, Elizabeth Kaplan Literary.

August 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-April, Lincoln, Gavin, Ms. Heslip, The Mastermind, Phoebe, and Delaware each tell their part of the story of a tragic April 19 and the harrowing twists and turns that brought them to a precipice. The prose, pacing, and interweaving of tales in this work are expertly wrought, with connections radiating among chapters and lives. Each connection is like a thread wanting to be pulled, and the ultimate tangle of the narrative is very satisfying to unravel. The characters have individual voices without relying too heavily on gimmicks, and all seven have fully realized lives, which is no mean feat. However, the depiction of online interaction feels heavy-handed. No character seems to experience a positive aspect of their online lives; the Internet is simply a tool for bullying, shame, mistakes, and escalation of problems. With this kind of one-dimensional characterization of something that is a huge part of most teens' lives, this title ends up reading like a problem novel dressed up with literary technique. VERDICT Although beautifully and intricately written, this reflection on growing up in the age of terrorism and on the Internet rings hollow; an additional purchase.-L. Lee Butler, Hart Middle School, Washington, DC

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2016
Alternating narrators tell the story of a day in April when school shootings coordinated in an internet forum occur in various locations across the country. Distinctive voices slowly piece together the details of a variety of characters' stories, rather like 18-year-old April's Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory, which enables her to remember with photographic precision her childhood friendship with a boy named Lincoln before he moved away after his father died in the attacks on the World Trade Center. Meanwhile, teenage Lincoln also takes a turn, relating his odd relationship with Laura Echols, beautiful but remote, and how their fates intertwine with their thoughtful, Glass Menagerie-assigning English teacher, who fears one of her students may be planning an act of violence. Both the emotionally awkward mastermind of the shooting plot and those hiding from active shooters at their schools also share their perspectives in accounts that are poignant and realistic. The sheer number of narrators means that readers will need to pay close attention in order to understand how the various strands link together, but lovely writing, replete with literary references, will spur them on. There is some ethnic diversity--while characters such as Phoebe, Laura, and Adrian appear to be white, Gavin is described as having brown skin and green eyes, Gina's last name is Morales, and Pal is Indian-American. A worthwhile, chilling novel that makes demands of its audience and rewards them richly in return. (Fiction. 14-18)

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