Whatever Doesn't Kill You

Gr 7–10—Jenna was just days old when teenager Travis Bingham killed her father, an event that she believes set her family's breakdown in motion. Now, 15 years later, the murder still consumes her life, so much so that she loses her best friends. When Bingham is released on parole, Jenna becomes even more convinced that he is the key to her unanswered questions and feels that she must get the information to finally put the past behind her. What she doesn't expect to find out is that the murderer once lived with her family and that her brother, who has practically raised her, knows more about that fateful night than she could ever have imagined. Readers will be hooked from the first sentence and kept on the line by the quick-paced plot and easy-to-follow language. The story of Jenna, an outcast at school, with a not so normal family life is intriguing enough to hold the interest of even the most reluctant readers. Though the story seems to abruptly wrap up in a page or two, it is an overall good selection for those looking for a quick, heartening read.—Betsy Davidson, Cortland Free Library, NY