Blink Once

Gr 8 Up—Seventeen-year-old West is in a coma after a mountain-biking accident. Because the story is written in first person, it appears that he is awake, but it slowly becomes clear that he isn't, as those who visit him respond to him as if he were not conscious. Sixteen-year-old dancer Olivia, who is also a patient at the hospital, visits him when no one else is around. She helps him communicate even though he's unable to move and sneaks into his records. She understands what he is thinking and how he feels about his situation. At the same time that West is falling for Olivia, he begins having strange, reoccurring nightmares that reveal more and more about his situation. Who is the burned man who appears in his dreams? Olivia has a secret, and readers will turn the pages frantically to reveal it, wondering what her intentions are for West. The story is haunting and will appeal to teens who like paranormal mysteries with a light love story. The simple setting allows the focus to stay on West and his emotional ups and downs. Readers will feel his frustration and understand his reaction to Olivia. Though the ending is not a perfectly happy one, it won't disappoint romantics.Karen Alexander, Lake Fenton High School, Linden, MI