Comeback (Orca Soundings)

"Comeback" by Grant, Vicki, published by Orca Book Publishers. Ria is rich, slim, pretty, popular. If you only knew her at school, you'd think she led a charmed lifeand until recently you'd have been right. But her situation has taken a sudden, unfortunate change. Her parents' seemingly perfect marriage has broken up, and before she's had a chance to absorb the blow, her beloved father disappears in a plane crash. What's worse, rumors begin to surface that he may have perpetrated a multimillion-dollar investment scam and everybodyRia's mother, her best friends, even her boyfriendbelieves them. Ria sees no choice but to take her little brother and run. She vows to keep the memory of her father alive. Soon, though, she begins to wonder: is her memory playing tricks on heror is he? (20100415) From School Library Journal Grade 6 UpRia's dad is charming, happy-go-lucky, and rich. Too bad Ria is stuck living with her mother, who works hard, worries about money, and is usually tired and cranky. Her father shows up unexpectedly in a 1962 LeSabre and, in a grandiose gesture, hands the keys to his daughter's boyfriend. Ria decides to tell her parents that it would be so much better for everyone if she lived with her dad. But then his plane is reported down, in an assumed suicide. What is worse is that Ria's beloved father is now much maligned; apparently he was swindling his customers. In denial and in defense of him, Ria runs away with her brother in tow. Some plot elements are unbelievable; for example, adults don't inform the authorities of a teenage girl who is either homeless or a runaway, hauling around a little kid. Nonetheless, reluctant and struggling readers will be satisfied by the compelling story. Jake Pettit, Thompson Valley High School, Loveland, CO (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. From Booklist Ria is angry enough when her mother separates from her dad, but after he disappears while piloting his own plane, she decides to start a completely new life. With her five-year-old brother in tow, she runs away from home. When the realities of being on her own sink in, though, she soon realizes her folly, but she refuses to return to a home and town where, she has discovered, her dad scammed his clients out of millions in savings. Part of the Orca Soundings imprint targeted at reluctant readers, Grant's novel folds drama and suspense into a story that carries echoes of our country's current financial woes. Although the novel's brief length doesn't allow for in-depth characterization or an intricate plot or setting, its premise will quickly grab readers, who will empathize with Ria's disillusionment and split-second, bad decision making. Grades 6-10. --Frances Bradburn Book details: published 2010. Order now on BookShops.in with fast, reliable delivery across India.