TOTALLY CONFIDENTIAL

In Warner’s (Accidental Lily, 1999, etc.) lighthearted read, a 12-year-old girl finds a clever way to earn some extra money while helping her and her friends deal with worrisome pre-teen issues. When her ad in the local paper for a “professional listener” starts to get responses, Mary McQuinn Todd, or Quinny, finds that her summer job is not as easy as she had thought. She soon finds herself with an ethical dilemma on her hands. Marguerite, one of her best friends, is veering toward trouble. Marguerite has always been the antithesis of Quinny, but now Marguerite seems to be growing up too fast. The tension reaches a boiling point when, through her listening job, Quinny learns that Marguerite may be in considerable danger. She finds a solution that not only saves Marguerite, but also allows Quinny to keep her promise of confidentiality. To further add strain to Quinny’s life, she is becoming distant from those she loves. She feels like the fifth wheel in a family where her younger twin brothers form their own unit, and her parents, after 17 years of marriage, are still absolutely smitten with each other. The plot is both unique and appealing. Quinny and her friends are depicted as modern young teens with contemporary issues. The tone is not grim but bolstering and could influence readers to follow the example of using intellect, creativity, and discussion when faced with vexing situations. (Fiction. 8-12)