Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
"With evocative, vigorous prose," Cooney writes of a night of thrill-seeking gone wrong when a young mother dies as a result of a prank by three teenagers. "As convincing as it is believable," praised PW in a starred review. Ages 12-up. (Feb.)
School Library Journal
Gr 7 Up-Disinterested driver's ed teacher Mr. Fielding views his class as indistinguishable brainless clones. In order to keep them straight, he distributes name tags, and then calls out three lucky participants each day to go out on the road. Of course, the students are way ahead of him, and just exchange name tags whenever anyone wants a chance behind the wheel. Remy loves to drive, and she constantly trades tags with other girls. One night, she and a perspective love interest, Morgan, accept a class challenge to collect road signs, recruiting an older boy to drive. The expedition goes without a hitch- until they learn that a young mother has been killed at the intersection from which they have stolen a stop sign. The whole community is up in arms, and the grieving widower appears on TV with his son, offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of the vandals. Remy and Morgan are filled with remorse and guilt as their lives are turned upside down. Mr. Fielding, in a rare act of awareness, nearly accuses a different student of the crime because of the switched name tags. Both young people realize that they have to take responsibility for their actions and confess. Cooney uses her familiar fast-paced, conversational style throughout the novel. As the action intensifies, the sentences get shorter and more pointed. This stylistic device intensifies the drama and underlines the horror of the situation. Great literature this is not. However, the simple plot, told from Remy and Morgan's alternating viewpoints, is in no way simplistic, as it takes on sensitive issues and deals with them in a compelling manner. The overriding tension and the theme of an innocent prank backfiring into tragedy will attract teens and heighten the book's appeal.-Susan R. Farber, Chappaqua Library, NY
From the Publisher
A wrenching, breathlessly paced plot and an adrenaline-charged romance make Cooney’s latest novel nearly impossible to put down. . . . This modern-day morality tale is as convincing as it is irresistible.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred
“A poignant, realistic novel, with nicely drawn characters.”—Booklist, Starred
An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
An ALA Quick Pick
A Booklist Children’s Editors’ Choice
SEPT 97 - AudioFile
Life is going very well indeed for Remy Marland and Morgan Campbell, the boy she has a crush on. They’re both taking driver’s education, dreaming of how being able to drive will change everything and making tentative steps toward dating. All this changes when they take part in a prank that turns deadly and they have to face up to their part in the tragedy. Guidall’s reading is too thoughtful, understated and subdued in tone and pace. As a result, the book, which is a real page-turner, doesn’t translate effectively into audio in this performance, which seems endless. Either an abridgment is called for or a more dynamic, energetic performance. S.S.R. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine
