The Edge of Nowhere

Gr 7 Up—When Becca King arrives on Whidbey Island, her secret is only one of many that haunt the place. She hears "whispers," the unspoken thoughts of others, and is on the run from her stepfather, whose whispers told her something terrible. Her mother has left her with a friend while she finds a safe place for them to live. Only now the friend is dead and Becca doesn't know whom to trust. The first title (Viking, 2012) in a new young adult series by George is performed by Amy McFadden, who brings the people of Whidbey Island to life. The main characters include Seth, a dropout who shows great kindness to Becca; Derric, an adopted Ugandan boy who has secrets of his own; and Debbie, a chain smoking recovering alcoholic. But even a strong narrator like McFadden can't transcend the problems with this novel. What starts as a potentially great mystery soon becomes bogged down in the small secrets of the island. There are too many intertwined and convoluted plot lines. Beyond that, Derric's skin color and the fact that Becca is a little overweight are repeatedly mentioned to the point of annoyance. George's first foray into young adult literature is less than stellar.—Ann Brownson, Ballenger's Teachers center, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston