In a Split Second

Gr 9 Up—Nat and Charlie are present at an outdoor market on the afternoon a bomb goes off. Nat knows the bombing is coming and, after reading an incriminating text, hopes to stop his brother Lucas from involvement; Charlie knows nothing more than annoyance that her mother won't consent to her wish for a tattoo. Both are never the same after that fateful day in this near-future London when a racist, extremist group called the Iron Hand, which blames the bleak economic picture on immigrants and minorities, claims responsibility for the bomb, including the death of Charlie's mother and the coma of Nat's brother Lucas. Six months later, their paths cross again when Charlie's uncle offers her a home and enrolls her in a private school that Nat and his twin sister attend. Both teens are desperate for answers about what happened to their loved ones and maybe for revenge, but Nat is hoping to get those by infiltrating the Iron Hand. Eventually, the two become allies amid growing romantic feelings as they train in a secret group that seeks to preserve England. Engaged in dangerous missions with other teens, Nat and Charlie take action at last. Perhaps twice as long as it needs to be, especially for the suspense and action genres, this novel may fail to engage the reluctant readers it seems to be geared toward. A simple writing style doesn't quite make up for less than intriguing characters and peril that never manages to feel real.—Suzanne Gordon, Lanier High School, Sugar Hill, GA