My Sister Rosa

Che knows that his ten-year-old sister Rosa is a "ticking bomb. I don't think it matters what you call it: psychopathy, sociopathy, antisocial personality disorder, evil, or the devil within. What matters is to prevent the bomb from exploding." This task falls to Che because his parents don't believe there is anything wrong; they think that she had a problem but that it was merely a phase. He is especially worried now that the family has moved to New York City. What evil could she wreak in such a large city? But he grows to like New York: he befriends Leilani, the daughter of family friends; develops his boxing skills; and falls for Sojourner, a skilled boxer at his club. Then tragedy strikes. Rosa is at the center of it, and Che learns that the roots of his family's culpability run deep. Larbalestier's novel is a slow boil, moody and tense, with just the right amount of creep factor and a casually diverse cast of characters (Leilani is half-Korean, half-white; her girlfriend's best friend is black and gender-fluid; and Sojourner is a black, sexually experienced Christian). Che's journey toward self-awareness is at times enlightening, at times devastating, and the threat of violence from Rosa is suspenseful and truly terrifying. sian gaetano

Che's ten-year-old sister Rosa is a "ticking bomb." Then tragedy strikes that centers on Rosa, and Che learns the depth of his family's culpability. Larbalestier's novel is moody and tense, with just the right amount of creep factor and a casually diverse cast of characters. Che's journey toward self-awareness is enlightening and devastating; the threat of violence from Rosa is truly terrifying.