Flash Burnout

Gr 9 Up—L. K. Madigan's first novel (Houghton Mifflin, 2009), the winner of the 2010 William C. Morris Young Adult Debut Award, tells the story of Blake, a high school sophomore, who has a girlfriend and a friend who's a girl. Life gets complicated when, while photographing the gritty side of life in a bad part of town, Blake takes a picture of his friend Marissa's mom passed out from drug abuse. Meanwhile, Blake is also in the throes of first love. His girlfriend, Shannon, loves him for his sense of humor. But his class clown persona takes a beating as he becomes more involved in Marissa's personal life. A good cast of supporting characters, including Blake's model parents, help to make this much more than a teenage make-up/break-up story. MacLeod Andrews perfectly captures Blake's confusion and teenage angst, Marissa's fear, and Shannon's cold vengeance as she returns Blake's Christmas gift. A compelling listen.—Ann Brownson, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston