RUNNING WITH THE RESERVOIR PUPS

Eddie’s normal life takes a sudden veer into the complete pits when his mother announces they’re not only moving, but a divorce means Dad is going elsewhere. Going from the calm small-town life to the gang-infested urban apartment on the hospital grounds where his mother works leaves Eddie with too much time on his hands and too few options. Trying to explore only seems to get him into more trouble with security and the gang that claims the area as part of their territory. The fast-paced plot gradually moves the reader from recognizable reality into a neverland of impossible characters and larger-than-life evildoers as Eddie becomes involved in rescuing a dozen babies stolen in a kidnapping gone wrong. The connections created along the way create an oddball crew of partners enabling the author to hint at further episodes for “Eddie and the Gang with No Name.” For the lovers of nonstop action and understated British humor, this will be a satisfying page-turner. Unpretentiously unpredictable. (Fiction. YA)