Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber
Released October 25, 2011.
Perry’s band has gotten their first big break, a gig in New York City. Unfortunately, his parents are insisting that he take their foreign exchange student, Gobi, to prom that same night! Perry thinks that if he manages to leave prom early, he can still make it to his gig on time. Little does he know that his entire night is about to explode, literally. Perry is caught up in an assassination attempt, taken hostage in his own father’s car, and forced to speed through the night in Manhattan. This is one wild ride through a dark city that you won’t want to end!
Schreiber has written a book that reads like a movie. The pace is fast even at the beginning of the book but becomes almost breakneck speed by the middle. The ending is wild and blazing. This book is not about character development, though there are moments of growth in Perry especially where he realizes the truth about his father and his own relationship with him. In some respects it is a gun-filled story of a boy turning into a man in one amazing night.
This book comes in at 192 pages, which is sure to appeal to reluctant teen readers. Add the appeal of guns, fast cars, explosions, assassins, and romance and you have a book that readers will race right through.
The movie rights to this book have already sold to Paramount, which makes perfect sense given a book that reads so much like it’s already on the screen. Get this in the hands of reluctant readers who will enjoy the action and the humor of this thrilling read. Appropriate for ages 14-17.
Reviewed from ARC received from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group.
Also reviewed by:
Waking Brain Cells 