Tracers

Gr 9 Up—Cam has had it rough. His lowlife, ex-con father was stabbed to death in prison and his mother died after a long and virulent illness. Now he's working as a New York City bike messenger, trying to settle his debt to Chinese gangsters who are threatening violence to anyone close to him. One day beautiful Nikki literally drops on him, causing him to wreck his bike. Nikki is part of a gang dedicated to parkour, or tracing, the art of moving rapidly through an urban environment, dodging obstacles with grace and strength. In pursuit of secretive Nikki, Cam is eventually drawn into the gang and finds they are also dedicated to crime, carrying out missions, including armed robbery, on behalf of the mysterious Miller. The story is highly predictable and rich with conventions and stereotypes. The central romance is an agonizing on-again/off-again. As Nikki says, "Just…it's complicated, is the thing." On the plus side, the action scenes are well plotted and the richly evoked environment—abandoned buildings, a parking structure, the Chinatown underworld—is unusual, more like a Hong Kong action film than a typical YA novel. Despite Cam's dedication to parkour after meeting Nikki and the sometimes lavish descriptions of his training, the activity ceases to be a plot element for much of novel. Sexual descriptions are brief and subtly conveyed. Violence is frequent, but never overdone. A light read for older action lovers.—Bob Hassett, Luther Jackson Middle School, Falls Church, VA