Nothing like triple digits to keep me locked inside with books. I had been waiting for some time to read the new Crutcher and am thrilled to have had uninterrupted time to red it from start to finish. Three novellas comprise this story of Mr. Nak, the counselor called into a new position to help students with anger issues. In the first novella, Angus Bethune hooks up with Sarah Byrnes. Angus takes Sarah on a road trip to once more locate her mother. Perhaps the best last line of any story here: "Sarah Byrnes has a face ike the moon."

Part Two pairs Montana West and Trey Chase (do you remember their origins in Crutcher's other works?) who team up to take on censors of the high school newspaper. The final novella combines Marcus Jams, the only African American gay student at his school and Matt Miller, a minor character from DEADLINE. All of these stories are vintage Crutcher which means they are thoughtful and thought provoking and provocative and evocative, too

The first note is unsettling; the second one unnerving. Miranda is receiving cryptic notes from someone she must know warning her that she and her friend are in danger. What is the danger? How does this person know what will happen in the future? Perhaps Miranda's love of A WRINKLE IN TIME will point readers in the right direction in this mystery set in the late 1970s with a sci-fi element as well. Stead blurs lines between and among the genres to create a novel that will challenge readers intellectually and emotionally. Trying to describe any more of the plot would either be too confusing or give away too much. Better to read this one yourself and discover the truth: books for young readers are not easy reads for the unformed mind.