Faking Faith

Gr 9 Up—Junior year has not been kind to Dylan. After a series of bad decisions-making out with a "bad boy" while drunk, some "private" emailed nude photos to him, a very public freak-out-she moves through the halls of her school with her head down, trying to ignore the taunts and insults of her classmates. Looking to escape the realities of her circumstances, Dylan follows a link that promises "[t]he most effed up people on the internets," and falls into the world of fundamentalist Christian homeschooled bloggers, girls whose lives are the polar opposite of Dylan's fast, privileged, and secular lifestyle. Dylan is fascinated by their view of the world and envies their seemingly worry-free existence. She even creates a persona, Faith, and begins to join in the conversation, quickly building an online friendship with popular blogger Abigail. When she invites Dylan to stay with her family over the summer, Dylan accepts but goes as Faith. Things start out well but get complicated when "Faith" meets Abigail's cute and conflicted older brother and learns about Abigail's impending marriage to a sleezy older man. Though this is Dylan's story, Bloss portrays all parties with a sympathetic eye, showing the strengths and weaknesses of both lifestyles and perspectives. At home Dylan is a social pariah, but in Abigail's world, as Faith, she is helpful, brave, and strong. This is a satisfying read for teens who dream of a context in which what they have to offer will seem important and valuable.—Jennifer Miskec, Longwood University, Farmville, VA