Midair

Gr 9 Up—The year is 1999, and Nessa is consumed with revenge: her brother has just passed away, and her friend Kat has stabbed her in the back. The ensuing depression is so severe that she feels it can be resolved only with an act of suicide. On the annual French Club trip to Paris, Nessa starts a game of "truth or dare" with Kat, Whitney, and Kiran, hoping that this will result in the payback that she has planned on for so long—and the release she yearns for. Soon the game spirals out of control, building up to darker and more sinister events. Narrator Brittany Pressley captures the air of entitlement that most of these girls flaunt as they tour French landmarks. Fans of suspenseful, psychological thrillers may find this very appealing. However, they may feel that the thrills are not worth plodding through the repetitive dialogue and the narrator's whining. What sets this book apart is its exploration of the intense pressure to achieve that many teens experience and the subtle (and not-so-subtle) bullying that is prevalent throughout high school.