Popular author Wendelin Van Draanen has tackled an oft-written story -- the high school athlete who loses a limb in a motor vehicle accident. Jessica is a compelling character and the beginning definitely pulls you in ... but ... the book didn't hold my attention throughout as it became somewhat "pat" IMHO. I like happy endings and it's always nice to have an inspiring tale, but I couldn't help but be reminded of the random CW teen show. There are boys, and a mean girl, a strict teacher, etc etc. Van Draanen avoids being overly pedantic, as many of these novels are, and goes into detail on the amputation and prosthetics in a way I've never seen. The medical portion of the book is really interesting but it feels like many aspects of Jessica's recovery are glossed over. She gets out of the hospital in eleven days. Perhaps this is possible, it just seems very fast. Similarly, Jessica gets very depressed -- which is normal -- but literally bounces out of it in a day after her friend calls her on it (psychiatric counseling is not mandatory for this type of injury???) Jessica's best friend, Fiona, is a saint, and her dog, Sherlock, is adorable. In the end, tremendous obstacles are overcome and the girls get their guys. It's not a bad book. It has some neat philosophy tucked in there (the section headings are in reverse order of an actual race -- for good reason). See Rosa's comments for the "meat" of the tale. It's just an uncomplicated book, one that ends up as a "feel good" read. There are worse things. My biggest complaint is something odd -- one of the characters, although not described as an African American, is given a "black" name and dialog that is somewhat stereotypical. It surprised me in this day and age and was a distraction in a book where most of the characters seemed grounded in a kind of reality. See my review, above, with comments on race and perception in books.
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