Missing at 17

Gr 9 Up—Seventeen-year-old Candace White has always had a short temper. It's no surprise when she storms out of her biology class after learning that her eye color could not have been produced by her biological parents. Later that afternoon, Candace's suspicions about being adopted are confirmed by her mother. Already angry with her mother over the constant nagging that drove her father to divorce, the teen is spurred by this latest deception to seek a life outside of her oppressive school and fractured family. Within just a few miles from her home, Candy is charmed by a mysterious stranger at a gas station. She spends three days with Toby and his sinister cousin, Keenan, in a run-down Los Angeles neighborhood not far from her own home. Toby seems to be Candy's knight in shining armor, protecting her from her parents, helping her find her biological parents, and providing her the freedom and support to be and do whatever she wants. However, Toby's lifestyle may prove too dangerous for Candace. The plot is predictable, the characters are one dimensional, and the third-person narration is often stilted and redundant. Savvy readers will be put off by the plot inconsistencies and overwrought scenarios that appear quickly and are conveniently resolved.