Grade 6-9-When her teenage half sister disappears, eight-year-old Nikki is the only witness. But the unhappy little girl has a long history of lying, and now, when she tells the truth, no one will believe her, especially since the man she implicates is Vikki's father, the organizer of a massive hunt for the missing teen. Readers, of course, know even more than Nikki, and therein lies the tension and charm of this entertaining novel that is paced and presented much like a television drama. Alternating chapters are told from Nikki and Vikki's viewpoints so readers see the younger sister struggle to be believed while the older one battles for survival in the Texas hills after being physically assaulted and left for dead. As Nikki retreats from her mother's angry disbelief, she finds a strange ally in a "psychic" who is herself an accomplished self-deceiver. The difficult family relations are balanced by the sisters' faith in one another and by a neighbor who listens to Nikki and repairs his relationship with his own daughter. As with a TV movie, the outcome is predictable, the characters for the most part are two dimensional, and some of the plot turns challenge credulity, but this story offers some meat along with the fluff.
Carolyn Polese, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Gr. 6^-9. When 16-year-old Vikki's long-absent dad suddenly appears on the doorstep and tries to "make up" for lost time in gallant fashion, the hardworking, rather burdened teen gets to feel special for a change. Meanwhile, Mom is too busy mistreating Vikki's younger stepsister (named Nikki, annoyingly enough) and trying to carve out a social life for herself to pick up on the danger signals inherent in her ex's abrupt arrival. And poor Nikki can only feel rage at her sister's supposed good fortune. As the troubled father's less-than-honorable intentions surface and his advances toward Vikki are rebuffed, he resorts to imprisoning her in an abandoned country home. Nikki's clues as to her sister's whereabouts save the day. The rescue thriller aspect saves the story, too, which in spite of weak characterizations turns into a well-plotted, tension-mounting survival story with a satisfying conclusion. Anne O'Malley
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