O’Dell, Nicole Wishing Pearl, 368 p. Barbour Publishing, 2011. $10. Mature Content: PG-13 (drugs, alcohol, intimations of sexual abuse or at least the threat of such by a step parent, though that is not described).
Olivia, 16, has been emotionally abused and intimidated by her stepfather and acts out by stealing money, and getting drunk and high with her best friend. Besides her wild behavior, her only other refuge is her oboe –playing and the hope for scholarship. A family friend suggests that Olivia’s mom take her Diamond Estates, a boarding school for troubled girls – but Diamond will only take you if you volunteer. It isn’t until Olivia’s actions cause the death of her best friend that she thinks that she might be ready to change. But taking one step forward doesn’t always mean that your next step will be in the right direction. And not every girl at Diamond Estates is ready to surrender themselves to treatment and to follow the faith path set out by the founders.
O’Dell’s book reminds me a lot of Melody Carlson’s Color series. For schools looking for faith-based books, this is a good addition. O’Dell fits a whole lot of story into her almost 400 pages – giving us plenty of back story, a realistic struggle to submit to treatment and a hard look at the variety of girls and challenges at any kind of facility.
MS, HS – ADVISABLE. Cindy, Library teacher.
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