Escalate

Gr 6 Up—The follow-up to Jace Wyatt's story, which first began in Unleashed. That narrative left off just after Jace left his abusive home; now he is on a mission, searching for his biological family in the midst of a case with Team Retribution. Deanna Steele, the daughter of a high-profile businessman, is being blackmailed. She goes to team Retribution hoping to protect her father and save the business from going under. This job leads to so much more than Jace signed up for. Throughout the case, Jace is trying to track down his biological family without anyone noticing, even his adoptive family. He doesn't want them to think that he is leaving them. Jace is on the trail of Victor, whom he thinks could be his biological brother. Victor is always getting into trouble and is often physically bullied, but what Victor doesn't understand is that he is bringing it on himself by verbally bullying those around him. Victor hires team Retribution to help him combat bullies, but what he doesn't know is that's exactly what Jace wanted. Told from Jace's perspective, the story often jumps from scene to scene with clunky transitions. But those who enjoy high-paced stories will be engaged by this entry.