Shock Point

by April Henry

Overview

Cassie discovers that her stepfather, Rick, a teen psychiatrist, has been illegally prescribing a new behavioral drug to his patients-and three teens have died. Before she can report him, Rick commits Cassie to Peaceful Cove, a boot camp for troubled teens in Mexico. Cassie knows she has to get out now, before more teens die. But no one has ever escaped from Peaceful Cove alive-and even if Cassie gets over the walls and survives the Mexican desert, will anyone believe her story?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780142412404
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	10/02/2008
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	407,322
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	12 Years

About the Author

April Henry lives in Portland, Oregon.

Read an Excerpt

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Acknowledgements

 
part one

one - April 14

two - Three days earlier—April 11

three - April 14

four - April 11

five - April 14

six - April 12

seven - April 14

eight - April 12

nine - April 14

ten - April 12

eleven - April 14

(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "Shock Point"
by .
Copyright © 2008 April Henry.
Excerpted by permission of Penguin Young Readers Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Henry packs her first YA novel with the quick action and suspense that will keep even reluctant readers turning the pages." School Library Journal

Editorial Reviews

Henry packs her first YA novel with the quick action and suspense that will keep even reluctant readers turning the pages." School Library Journal

From the Publisher

Gr 7 Up-Cassie Streng, 16, knows that her psychiatrist stepfather, Rick, prescribed an experimental drug for his teenage patients, three of whom have committed suicide. Before she can gather evidence, however, she is grabbed by two men, handcuffed, locked in the back of a van, and taken to Peaceful Cove, a facility for troubled teens in Mexico. Rick has assured her mother that the place is an excellent boarding school-he maintains that he found crystal meth in Cassie's room-but she soon discovers the truth. She is trapped in a brutal prison camp, and she must make her way back to Oregon and convince someone of the danger Rick represents before anyone else dies. While the premise is a bit over the top, Cassie is a strong and sympathetic character who relies on her wits and determination from the very first page. Short chapters that show how she uncovers her stepfather's actions alternate with the story of her journey from Portland to Mexico, a nicely executed technique that keeps the plot moving and readers engaged. While the secondary characters are a little flat and the ending is a bit too neat, Henry packs her first YA novel with the quick action and suspense that will keep even reluctant readers turning the pages.-Beth Gallego, Los Angeles Public Library, North Hollywood Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Almost 16, Cassie hates her new psychiatrist stepfather, Rick, in this over-the-top thriller. Cassie discovers that relentlessly evil Rick has fraudulently given an unproven drug to three teens who subsequently committed suicide. Before she knows it, Rick has her kidnapped and shipped to a school for delinquent kids in Mexico. Cassie's loving but clueless and very pregnant mother agrees with the decision, going along with anything her new husband says. Cassie immediately learns that the school is more like a prison, where the students are beaten and starved. Can Cassie escape, expose Rick's crimes and put an end to the school? Henry writes with a quick-moving, superficial style and often glosses over awkward plot points with quick explanatory paragraphs. He delivers some shocking moments while making no attempt to examine realistic adolescent problems. A potboiler that may appeal to a wide range of young readers and could be useful for reluctant readers. (Fiction. 12-16)

Kirkus Reviews