From Publishers Weekly
The stakes couldn't be lower or the motives more confusing in this muddled first novel. Kelsey and her fellow students in AP English class are disappointed that their teacher, Mrs. Delaney, has gone from leading lively discussions on important books to assigning routine worksheets. Instead of talking to her (Why not? "It was a question Kelsey didn't want to answer"), they try passive resistance, refusing to do any work. Oddly, it takes only three days for all the students to be in danger of failing the course. What about college? Kelsey's guardian, her policeman brother, Russ, orders her to end the protest, and he confines her to the house, takes away the car and refuses to converse with her except via instant messages until she complies. Russ's emotional withdrawal upsets Kelsey, but in the end, Cobb seems to endorse his autocratic technique: "I simply noticed my withdrawal was making you squirm when nothing else worked," Russ says. Kelsey who by now has solved the problem by addressing the obvious fact that Mrs. Delaney's personal life is in crisis seems happy that his manipulations have taught her to curb her rebellious spirit. A budding romance goes nowhere and a mysterious envelope never gets opened, so even readers who stick this out to the end will find themselves frustrated. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From School Library Journal
Grades 7-10--Kelsey Gene Blackwell and her classmates have begun a protest against their Advanced Placement English teacher, refusing to do anything in class until she resumes teaching the way she did the first half of the year. The teacher calls their bluff, and the standoff continues, causing disturbances in the school and homes of the students involved. Kelsey's older brother and legal guardian, Russ, a local policeman, is determined that the whole affair should come to an end immediately. Kelsey's father is recently deceased, her mother is institutionalized, and Russ demands that Kelsey live up to their father's expectations. Tension builds as several of the students try to call off the demonstration, and they discover the reason for their teacher's inattentive teaching style. This is an unlikely plot, but Cobb mixes in-depth characterization and a few twists with an intense family story to keep readers interested. Its real strength is the brother-sister relationship.
Angela J. Reynolds, Washington County Cooperative Library Services, Hillsboro, ORCopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
