Cheat by Kristin Butcher

Butcher, Kristin Cheat, 107 pgs. Orca Currents, 2010. $9.95. Language: G, Mature Content: G, Violence: G -- To most people, students cheating on tests is terrible, but very common. But when Laurel finds cheating at her school, in her very own classroom, she’s even surprised to see it happen. Being the school reporter, she immediately published an article about this cheating scandal. Everyone one in school congratulated her about her article, especially when it was published in the local newspaper. She loved all this attention and decided to look for another good story to publish. But while she was snooping around, she finds that her brother’s best friend, Sean, is cheating by copying the answer sheets for tests. She is shocked to find this and immediately tells her brother. But her brother tells her that Sean would never do that, saying that she should give up the story. She feels that she should listen to her brother, but on the other hand, she also feels that cheaters should get what they deserve. Will Laurel be able to figure out this mind-boggling mystery, or will she just give up the whole case like her brother wants? This book was a very easy read, especially since it was only 107 pages. However, I also thought that it gives a good message out to readers and has a fun mystery. MS - ADVISABLE. Student Reviewer: JW