Blink & Caution

Gr 9 Up—Blink, a teenaged runaway, is just doing what he has done before when he stealthily arrives on the 16th floor of an upscale hotel in Toronto—scavenging room service trays for breakfast leftovers. That day he gets more than he bargained for when he witnesses a fake kidnapping. Using the key that has been carelessly tossed into the room where he is hiding, he goes inside and finds that a wallet full of money and a phone have been left behind. Blink thinks that it's his lucky day. Caution, another runaway, has escaped from her abusive drug dealing boyfriend and is on the run. When she sees Blink in the train station, she knows he will be easy prey, but after robbing him, she returns the money. She feels unaccountably protective of him, and joins in his attempt to find out what he actually witnessed in that hotel. MacLeod Andrews does a wonderful job at narrating Blink, giving urgency to Blink's inner voice, Captain Panic. His Irish accent for Blink's father is especially good, but he doesn't have the range to voice the female characters successfully. However, this doesn't spoil the listening enjoyment. Tim Wynne-Jones's novel (Candlewick, 2011) is a good choice for collections where young adult audiobooks are popular.—Suanne Roush, Osceola High School, Seminole, FL