My Kind of Crazy

Gr 9 Up—Hank Kiby's promposal has gone wrong—starting a fire in Amanda Carlisle's front yard, wrong. Hank thinks he has managed to escape without being seen when a witness pops up, Peyton Breedlove. Rather than turning Hank in, she believes she has found a fellow pyromaniac. The two fall into a friendship that ultimately leads to something more. Hank wants to rescue Peyton from her abusive home life, while he struggles with his own alcoholic father. Mature language appears throughout the text as well as mature settings, such as the club where Hank's father's girlfriend is an exotic dancer. The lack of consequences for a variety of incidents, such as Hank's accidental arson and decision to let Peyton take merchandise without paying from the grocery store where he works, is unsettling but realistic. Astute readers will see Peyton's cries for help in her fire-setting tendencies and in an emotional moment when she lies about her mother pinning her down to violently cut off her hair. No mention is given of getting Peyton help or following up with a professional. Messy ends are tied up too neatly, and the book concludes on a fizzle rather than a bang.