One of the Survivors by Susan Shaw

Shaw, Susan One of the Survivors, 199 p. McElderry (Simon), 2009. $15.99. Content: G. Joey Campbell and his friend Maureen survived the school fire that killed the rest of the kids in their class. They may not, however, survive the vitriol that everyone in their small town is heaping upon them, accusing the two of setting the fire before the professionals come up with the actual cause. I had such high hopes for this novel, based on how much I loved Shaw’s previous novel “Safe”. Unfortunately, the narrative does not hang together well – the circumstances are just so improbable, to the point of being unbelievable. I wanted to love this, but just couldn’t. MS – OPTIONAL. Cindy, Library-Teacher.