Like a Broken Doll (Urban Underground)

Gr 7—10—Someone is stealing money from girls' purses and the proceeds from the cheerleaders' car wash. Sereeta happens to be on the scene every time some cash goes missing. Not to mention that Chelsea saw her cutting herself and everyone saw Sereeta's mom come to school drunk. Then there is Quincy, who also happens to be around when some of the money disappears. His family surely needs it. Or—could the girls be making it up? It's rumored that when Ryann reported the missing $100, her parents gave her another $100. And she has been coming to school with a lot of new clothes. The issues are resolved easily, neatly, and unrealistically. The cutting issue is raised in chapter four and "resolved" in chapter seven. There is a disconnect with the jacket art: the broken doll is clearly Sereeta, but the cover depicts the torso of a young man and barbed wire.—Amy Cheney, Alameda County Library, Oakland, CA