van Tol, Alex. Viral

van Tol, Alex.     Viral  

Orca  2011  131p  9.95  978-1-55469-411-2  

ms/hs Realistic

Fiction           VG    

 When Lindsay is photographed during party, and the video

goes viral, Mike must find a way to stop her from committing suicide.   Once

again Orca Soundings has taken an age-old story of friendship and love, and

infused it with contemporary drama and tension.  Mike and Lindsay have been

friends for years, but a misunderstanding escalates, and Lindsay becomes drunk

and high on Ecstasy at a party, and is raped, the encounter recorded.  When it

goes viral at school, Lindsay attempts suicide.  The ending is predictable, but

the journey there is satisfyingly written and taughtly plotted.  Geared for

reluctant readers, this story will be enjoyed by other teens equally.  There is

mention of sex, especially in the rape scene, but nothing is graphic, and it is

the violence, not the sex, that may preclude this book from being suitable for

younger teens.          Naismith, Pat

Johnson, Peter. Loserville.

Johnson, Peter. Loserville.
Front Street Books (see Boyd's Mill Press) 2009 150 17.95 978-1-59078-581-2 hs/adult

Nobody knows how much pain Derek Grace is experiencing in Loserville, not even his friends, in this tragic novel about a teenager who sees no recourse other than to run away from his family and friends. Loserville is a thought-provoking book that will have young adults and parents discussing what went wrong in Derek's life to lead him stage his own suicide and disappear. Derek did not seem to be on this path, and that is what is disturbing. Surrounded by good friends who exhibited somewhat questionable yet not atypical teen behaviors, Derek's pain was not evident, not until he appeared on a reality TV show called Loserville, run by egomaniac, Jesus, who takes a family, dissects its problems on nationwide television, then treats the children like they're at boot camp, crushing and never helping. Derek's role models were hopeless, and that is part of what contributed to his lack of direction. His English teacher, Mr. Sparks, was a user, offering his home, marihuana, and companionship to a small group of students in return for kicks and some help with his summer business. Derek's father, in mourning after the death of Derek's mother, was unable to communicate with Derek, especially after he married a young, recovered drug addict, the sexy Claudia. Derek's friends, all preppies, were fun-loving and supportive. In a vague way, we can feel that something bad is going to happen. Even after his disappearance, there is no one to help Derek's friends cope with the loss. Derek's girlfriend Coco is left with a tattoo depicting a cross with a letter D wrapped around it, a permanent reminder of their relationship. The session at the tattoo parlor, which might have foreshadowed a cataclysmic event, seemed to be a normal rite of passage. The final moments at a golf course which shows the friends celebrating the end of the summer, represented a happy time before the climax, Derek's appearance on Loserville. MS.