White Rabbit

Gr 9 Up—Rufus Holt is having a rough July 4th. First, the love of his young life, Sebastian, shows up out of nowhere, just five weeks after crushing Rufus's heart in a most painful and spectacular way. Then, his half-sister April calls, disoriented and desperate for his help. And just to ice the cake a little further, his mom tells him they're short $8,000 and they may lose the rest of what little they have. With no other option, Rufus allows Sebastian to drive him to his sister. When they find her, she is covered in blood, holding a knife, next to the dead body of her boyfriend. She doesn't remember much, but enough to know she didn't do it, and she is willing to pay Rufus to find out who did. Rufus and Sebastian have one night to uncover who really killed Fox Whitney. This excellent mystery has strong and believable characters. The relatively small cast and tight time frame lend themselves to extra focus and depth in each character's development. Roehrig obviously knows how to structure a mystery; it rolls out nicely, with each piece of the puzzle discovered at the appropriate time. Brief flashbacks of Rufus and Sebastian's story help give context to and propel current action that unfolds in a well-timed manner. Their relationship is the core of this tale, and it's portrayed intelligently and realistically with appropriate depth and compassion.