By Invitation Only

Gr 9 Up—Emma Southerly and her friend Josie, part of the "out crowd" at their expensive prep school, crash an end-of-the-year party. Emma is separated from Josie (who hooks up with a fortysomething guy), and thus begin a series of unfortunate events, including an encounter with an appealing stranger, police involvement, a steamy romance, and a kerfuffle with Emma's alcoholic dad. The intended audience for this work is the real mystery, since the cliffhanger ending does not allow consequences to be realized or conclusions to be drawn. The writing is clumsy and occasionally careless. Marisa Vitali's interpretation of high school student Emma is authentic; she renders the character believable and at times likable. In fact, likability is Emma's saving grace, as she and Josie make one poor decision after another.