Breaking

April 1, 2017
Gr 8 Up-Charlotte knows that she is attending the prestigious Underhill Preparatory Institute in New York only because of her mother, a famous research scientist. She is content to stay in the shadows of her two friends, Ariel and Devon. The three of them used to joke that they represented different fairy-tale princesses-Ariel was the Little Mermaid, Devon was Snow White, and loyal Charlotte was Cinderella. When both of her friends supposedly commit suicide, Charlotte begins to wonder if something is very wrong at the school. Then she finds a tiny bottle of serum that one of her dead friends left her with the words -Drink Me- written on it. As Charlotte tracks down clues, she becomes uncomfortably aware that her mother and the local medical center are involved in the mysterious happenings. Students are being experimented on, and people have died in order to keep the secret hidden. This fast-paced read is just right for those who enjoy a little science fiction mixed in with their mystery. VERDICT Fans of medical mysteries with bioethical issues, such as Nancy Werlin's Double Helix and Nancy Farmer's The House of the Scorpion, will enjoy this page-turner. A good choice for most YA collections.-Deanna McDaniel, Genoa Middle School, OH

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2017
In the wake of her best friends' suicides, a high school student uncovers disturbing truths about her elite prep school.Charlotte is an average high school senior. She has average looks and earns average grades, no matter how hard she studies. If it wasn't for her mother, a renowned and well-connected medical researcher, Charlotte would've been kicked out of prestigious Weston Preparatory Institute, where the students are all exceptionally gifted. Charlotte's beautiful and daring best friends, Ariel and Devon, made life bearable for her at Weston. (Ariel and Charlotte are white; Devon is black.) The unlikely bond among three girls who "forgot we had mothers" became something more than friendship. They became a family. But when Ariel and Devon commit suicide a month apart, Charlotte's search for answers leads her to a dangerous discovery that puts her life and the lives of others in jeopardy. Just as Charlotte played second fiddle to her two best friends before their deaths, her character just isn't as compellingly written as those of Ariel and Devon. The book's other characters are similarly bland or don't get enough scene time for readers to really connect with them. This means the most interesting characters appear only in flashbacks and reminiscences. Nevertheless, plot twists and well-crafted intrigue will keep pages turning until the end. Deadly secrets, sinister lore, fractured families, and an elite prep school: a decent recipe for entertainment. (Thriller. 14-18)

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Starred review from May 1, 2017
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* The whole Disney Princess thing was a joke between Charlotte and her friends. Easy-to-manipulate, animal-loving Charlotte was Cinderella, while driven, athletic African American Devon was an ironic Snow White. Rebellious, red-headed ringleader Ariel was, of course, Ariel, the feisty Little Mermaid. But now Devon and Ariel are dead, having committed suicide within a month of each other, and Charlotte, who has always struggled to keep up with the preternaturally gifted students at the Underhill Preparatory Institute, is left alone. Charlotte, still reeling with guilt about things that happened before their deaths, doesn't believe what happened to Devon and Ariel is a coincidence, and she is determined to get to the bottom of what happenedsomething that is easier said than done, considering the frustratingly vague clues Ariel left and the involvement that Charlotte's cold scientist mother seems to have. This tightly wound, sci-fi-tinged mystery is a beautifully plotted combination of unexpected twists, sudden scares, and uncanny moments. As well as being an intriguing character study, it also gives careful scrutiny to the pressures that high-performing students face, as well as the modern demand for excellence at any cost. From eerie beginning to explosive end, this mystery belongs on all shelves.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2018
Average Charlotte knows she's out of her league at elite Weston Prep, having been admitted only on the basis of her (controlling) scientist mother's reputation. When Charlotte's best friends both die of apparent suicide within weeks of each other, Charlotte begins to suspect that there's something sinister going on. Sci-fi and the supernatural mix in this unusual mystery, which suffers from somewhat flat characterizations.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)