Cold Calls

Gr 7 Up—Eric, Shelly, and Fatima are three teens from different schools and backgrounds who have only one thing in common: a midnight caller who knows their secrets. Secrets the three teenagers are desperate to keep hidden. So desperate in fact that they agree to do as the caller demands. The mysterious antagonist's demands are simple: bully selected targets at their schools. When the three protagonists meet at an anti-bullying class and realize what they have in common, they set out to discover just who their mutual foe is and stop their secrets from being shared before their lives are ruined. While the character development isn't the strength here and there is no happily ever after, the characters feel like authentic teenagers. With a quick pace, this psychological thriller takes readers for a ride, providing clues to the secrets the characters are trying to hide but without disclosing all of the information until later chapters. The coldness of the caller in relation to the damage he/she is doing to the bullying victims as well as the blackmail victims is particularly chilling, especially since their is no sign of a change in his/her behavior. References to underage drinking, drugs, and sex makes this most suitable for older teens.—Heidi Grange, Summit Elementary School, Smithfield, UT