THE LONG NIGHT OF LEO AND BREE

On the night of the fourth anniversary of his sister Michelle’s grisly murder by her abusive boyfriend, Leo’s crazy mother has gotten out the photographs of Michelle’s death. After threatening his mother and hearing Michelle’s voice in his head, Leo believes that he can replace Michelle’s death with that of a girl who really “deserves” it. Along comes Bree, dressed provocatively and looking for a bar in a bad part of town, all to find adventure and infuriate her controlling mother and boyfriend. With a knife at Bree’s throat, Leo takes her to the basement of his apartment building, where the two spend a long night contemplating how they ended up in this situation and who they really are. Leo, who has had to quit school to support his dysfunctional family, and Bree, an affluent girl who has always let her family think for her, find that they share many life experiences. In only a brief moment of time, readers are taken on a compelling psychological journey. Although the characters sometimes slip into preaching about women’s rights and men’s feelings, this slim volume packs a punch. Wittlinger (Razzle, 2001, etc.)—always tops at hard-hitting, realistic fiction—delivers another story of teenagers’ self-discovery in a difficult world. (Fiction. YA)