Exposure

Gr 8 Up—A flippant take on Macbeth, set in an Alaskan high school. Skye Kingston is an avid photographer and social nobody who becomes involved in a cover-up when Duncan Shaw, senior captain of the hockey team and leader of the school's popular crowd, dies after falling through the ice at a party. It looks like an accident, but Skye overhears her longtime crush, Craig MacKenzie, and his sociopathic girlfriend, Beth Morgan, arguing and realizes that they were somehow involved in Duncan's death. Everything starts spinning out of control as Skye agonizes over whether to reveal what she overheard, and Craig and Beth pursue the titles of Prom King and Queen. Beth becomes increasingly unhinged, and Craig is consumed with guilt over Duncan's death, with everything coming to a climax at a farewell ceremony in the quad for an ancient tree called Old Burny. Other Shakesperean touches include three edgy girls of Yup'ik descent who seem to foretell the future and lines from the play as chapter headings, but much of the time, the story departs from the tragedy with subplots about Skye's parents divorcing and Skye contending with unwanted attention from a persistent admirer. This is an entertaining read, although sometimes the serious plot elements from Macbeth don't mix well with the snarky descriptions of high school social climbing. Readers don't need to be familiar with the play in order to enjoy this, but students who have read it will appreciate the many Shakespearean references throughout.—Kathleen E. Gruver, Burlington County Library, Westampton, NJ