LUCAS
Kevin Brooks
Scholastic/The Chicken House
Fiction
ISBN: 0439530636
432 pages

Caitlin and her family don't quite fit in with island life. She is idealistic and quiet, and her father spends his time writing avant-garde teen novels that, to quote Caitlin, "don't make a lot of money." The only one who sort of fits in is her brother, who has spent most of his time home from college out of the house. Caitlin's summer life on the island promises to be a game of avoiding the town's scummy college-age self-proclaimed gift to women and trying to figure out what to do about her best friend, who is hanging out with people Caitlin finds unsavory.

The moment she sees Lucas, though, she knows things will be different. Lucas has no last name, no history, no friends, and no family --- but he is gentle and thoughtful, and Caitlin knows she can trust him. Not everyone on the island is as open-minded, however, and when Lucas is accused of a terrible crime, Caitlin is thrown into a kind of witch-hunt that will leave her changed forever.

If you have ever looked back on a sad event in your life and wished you could do it all over, this is the book for you. As Caitlin shows that the only way to make sense of tragic happenings is to sometimes look back, think about them and write them down, we as readers want to shake the ignorant island residents and cheer for Lucas and Caitlin's relationship. There is no pretentious language in this book, which is what makes it so great. The simple words, elegant descriptions, and an ending that is sad and hopeful at the same time stay with you long after the book is finished.

   --- Reviewed by Carlie Kraft

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