Bait by Alex Sanchez

Diego can’t seem to control his anger.  He punches a kid just for taunting him at school and ends up in court.  There he meets Mr. Vidas, a parole officer, the first person in his life who listens and holds him accountable.  Although he was going to be sentenced far more leniently, Diego asks to be put on parole because that is the only way that he can continue to talk with Mr. Vidas.  But will the supportive Mr. Vidas continue to be supportive when he learns what Diego has done?  And will Diego have the courage to be honest about his past?  After all, no one in the world knows.

This novel is as powerful as Diego’s fists.  It tells the story of a teen so filled with rage, bitterness, and misery that his skin can barely contain it.  But it also tells the story of survival.  It is a deep novel where Diego grows in believable and tangible ways and hope comes in where there was none.  The writing is filled with the same tension one sees in Diego.  Sanchez writes with an understanding of the complexities of the teen boy who has survived desperate situations.  He has a background as a parole officer, which I am sure contributes to the strong sense of the good a single person can do in a teen’s life.  Despite its dark themes, the book is positive, a hopeful novel. 

Highly recommended, this book is a powerful story about a survivor.  Appropriate for ages 14-17.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.