Chasing After Knight

Gr 9 Up–When her parents announce that they’re moving to Las Vegas from Los Angeles, Alexa Brooks sees an opportunity to make a fresh start in high school. She’s looking forward to the future to escape the past. At summer camp after eighth grade, she betrayed Carson Knight when another girl flirted with him—a girl whose influential father could jump-start Carson’s acting career—ending a friendship that went deeper than Alexa was willing to admit. Three years later, she’s a senior and top student when an English assignment about memory brings back her past guilt. Best friend Lindsey, fascinated by all things Hollywood, convinces Alexa to track down Carson, now successful actor and celebrity Cayden McKnight, to make amends—and to see if they still click. A fake social media campaign threatens to derail their plan as these two nobodies sneak into Cayden’s insular world, which Alexa, at least, finds more confining than glamorous. Lindsey’s pursuit seems a bit ruthless as high-stakes capers ensue; fake IDs, midnight rides across the desert, quick changes in anonymous hotel restrooms, and brushing off the paparazzi become the norm. Some readers may enjoy the rush of this improbable tale, but the underlying story—whether or not Alexa and Cayden can reconcile—is more compelling. All the characters are white.