Four Secrets

Four Secrets
by Margaret Willey

"I don't know if all schools are like mine, but at North Holmes they have this thing that can happen, from out of the blue, and there is even a code word for it it's called getting stung."

Katie, Nate, and Renata had no farther to fall.
"They become like scorpions; they sting you till you die."

But when they hit the bottom of the social ladder, they found each other. Together, they might be able to change things. To stop the torment.

"We were united. We were going to take a stand."

So they made a plan. One person seemed to have everyone's secrets and all the power. If they could stop him...

"We needed first of all to get Chase alone. Away from his friends."

But secrets are complicated, powerful things. They are hard to keep. And even a noble plan can go horribly wrong. 

"What a dark and terrible place this school is." (description from Amazon.com)

This one will suck you right in. 

It starts with Katie, Nate, and Renata being in juvenile detention for having kidnapped Chase and keeping him hostage for almost a week. Told in alternating chapters from each of their perspectives, you slowly learn what happened. Why they ever thought this idea might work and how they got caught. You find out that they each had a secret...a secret that they'd do almost anything to keep everyone else from finding out... 

I couldn't put this one down.

Full disclosure: Borrowed from my Library

Kick

Kick
by Walter Dean Myers and Ross Workman

Kevin Johnson is thirteen years old. And heading for juvie. He's a good kid, a great friend, and a star striker for his Highland, New Jersey, soccer team. His team is competing for the State Cup, and he wants to prove he has more than just star-player potential. Kevin's never been in any serious trouble . . . until the night he ends up in jail. Enter Sergeant Brown, a cop assigned to be Kevin's mentor. If Kevin and Brown can learn to trust each other, they might be able to turn things around before it's too late. (description from Amazon.com)

I did not really enjoy this book. I wanted to, but there were a lot of things about it that actually bothered me.  I could see that it would appeal a lot to other readers, but it just didn't work for me.

Good things I saw:
*It's a quick read.
*Kevin is relatable and has a great family.
*Sgt. Brown was overall a good mentor to Kevin.
*It gives a good lesson about watching your temper and finding other ways to solve problems.

Things I didn't like:
*Sgt. Brown calling his wife (whom he supposedly loved very much) "Woman," constantly saying he wished she would stop talking at him and just "Shut Up." Grrr... As much as he was good with Kevin, I HATED the example he set as a husband.
*The sub-plot about the illegal immigrants being exploited was tied up too neatly and without a lot of explanation.
*Kevin's almost trip to perma-juvie was tied up way to easily in what I thought was an improbable fashion...

Overall, I had wanted to like this story, but I just found that I couldn't get past what I disliked. I will be recommending this to reluctant readers, though, and pointing out to teens that Myers' co-author is actually a teen himself!