IT HAPPENED ON SATURDAY

After her best friend acquires a boyfriend at summer camp, an eighth grader persuades her older sister to give her a makeover, then posts it online.

Nori, whose parents recently separated, chooses hanging out with Luke over helping Julia volunteer at the stables where she takes riding lessons. Their friendship fraying, Julia feels abandoned. Her family’s preoccupied, especially sister Danielle, who is wrangling high school, choir, a boyfriend, and a part-time job. The makeover she gives Julia, however, works wonders: Julia could pass for 16, Danielle says. Julia’s sophisticated image prompts flattery from friends and strangers on social media—including handsome Tyler, who says he attends 10th grade at a nearby private school and follows up his compliments with requests to meet. Wary at first, Julia’s soon disarmed by his interest. More dates follow—a fancy dinner, minigolf—and expensive treats. Largely estranged from Nori, who warns her this is risky behavior, leading to a fight, Julia tries to enjoy the attention of girls who once ignored her. But Tyler is not what he seems: Following a nightmarish discovery and close call with a trafficker, Julia enters group therapy. Most characters follow a White default; Nori is Japanese American. Dunlap writes with compassion about factors that render adolescents particularly vulnerable to trafficking and what it takes to keep them safe; she offers insights into how excruciating self-consciousness prevents victims from seeking help or sharing their experiences.

A powerful work.