From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up-Ian's friend is missing, and no one knows what happened to him. Or do they? As Ian searches for clues, snatches of a forest glen and Teddy pleading for help keep creeping into his mind. On top of that, Ian's father, the school principal, has been putting extra pressure on his son to be perfect. The protagonist's three "personalities," School-Ian, Home-Ian, and Failure-Ian, all try to work together to do what is expected, but sometimes the expectations are too great and Ian "zones out." As he struggles to remember what he may have seen the day Teddy disappeared, he begins to understand what happened, what he is repressing, and what role his violent father played in his friend's disappearance. Once again, Alphin uses child abuse and the machinations of the mind to create her story, but this time it falls short of believability. While the setting is perfect and Ian's character is well developed, readers are likely to be puzzled by the initially unexplained voice Ian hears in his head. Also, some of Teddy's journal writing is obviously forced to advance the plot and may not ring true for teen readers. Because of the complexities of the relationships, reluctant readers will struggle, but better readers searching for a "male-oriented" mystery may be satisfied.
Lynn Evarts, Sauk Prairie High School, Prairie du Sac, WICopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From Booklist
Gr. 6-9. Ian Slater, the principal's son, has many secrets. One is the hideout he and his best friend, Teddy, have created in an abandoned motel in the redwood forest surrounding their small northern California town. Here the boys take photos, read photography magazines, and keep secret journals. Yet, as close as the kids seem to be, they keep secrets from one another: Ian has an abusive father; Teddy is searching for the father he's never met. After Teddy fails to go home one day, Ian becomes a suspect in the disappearance. Told through Ian's first-person narrative, this psychological thriller has many twists and turns, incorporating multiple personalities, name games, and paternity riddles. Readers will relish following Teddy's trail of digital photographs and anticipating Ian's triumph.
Debbie CartonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
