Choker

Gr 9 Up—After choking on a carrot in the cafeteria, Cara is harassed by the popular girls at her school and given the nickname "Choker." She longs for her old life with her best friend, Zoe, who is no longer there. Coincidentally, Zoe shows up at Cara's house needing a place to stay, but says Cara's parents cannot know because they might tell the police. Cara's life changes dramatically with Zoe's presence. She gets a date with the cutest boy in school after his girlfriend goes missing in the wake of her best friend's death. Wondering if Zoe, who has started to behave bizarrely, has anything to do with these strange goings-on, Cara considers alerting the authorities before her friend disappears. There is an ongoing struggle between the girls. The protagonist is multi-layered and well-drawn. Subtle clues are given in regard to the nature of her true relationship with Zoe, but it is not spelled out completely until the end. The pacing is both chaotic and measured, and some parts of the tale are dark and violent. The taut mood is sustained throughout, and the plot's unpredictability will lead readers to finish the book in one sitting. With similarities to Jacquelyn Mitchard's Now You See Her (HarperTempest, 2007), Choker is sure to be a hit with fans of psychological thrillers.—Lori A. Guenthner, Baltimore County Public Library, Randallstown, MD