From Publishers Weekly
This snappily paced tale follows four teens from disparate circumstances through their summer internship at a small-town newspaper. In focusing alternately on driven, ambitious Vicki and good-humored, macho Chris, the Mazers ( Heartbeat ; The Solid Gold Kid ) round out their engrossing narrative with male and female points of view. Perspicacity artfully blends with comedy: readers can empathize with the emotions of interns Vicki, Chris, Elizabeth and Faith while laughing at Chris's hilariously awful fiction or Elizabeth's self-obsessed monologues. The novel shifts from being a cozy romance to a tension-filled drama when Vicki's decision to write an article exposing Faith's famous parentage sets her at odds with her peers, who wind up taking surprisingly extreme steps to stop her. While their writing is never preachy, the Mazers provide much food for thought on such pertinent issues as journalistic integrity and freedom of the press versus an individual's right to privacy. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From School Library Journal
Grade 7-10-- A summer internship with a Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper publisher is a sure step to success for Vicki, 14. With an ambitious mother and plenty of talent, she finds it easy to pretend to be 16. In contrast, Chris, 17, must struggle for release from his conservative Greek father who wants him to be an engineer, not a writer. Two sophisticated girls, Elizabeth and Faith, complete the intern group. When Vicki stumbles upon a secret involving Faith and announces her determination to write a revealing story, the other three lock her in a rusty, isolated van to per: suade her otherwise. Alternating viewpoints in dialogue-driven narratives keep this story from having the flow and urgency of the Mazers' The Solid Gold Kid (Delacorte, 1977). Nevertheless, teens will identify with the concerns and devour it. Important issues are examined through the lens of contrast, e.g., Vicki's feeble experiments with alcohol might amuse young teens, but the havoc wreaked in Faith's family by full-blown alcoholism evokes quite a different feeling. Ultimately, this story is about making choices and communicating needs, tough tasks for teens and many adults as well.
- Cindy Darling Codell, Clark Middle School, Winchester, KYCopyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
