Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

The final installment of the trilogy that began with The Battle of Jericho (BCCB 7/03) finds the group of friends embarking on senior year while still working through the residual trauma of their previous experiences. November returns to school after giving birth to Josh's baby, and Kofi is finding that the pain medication that he was [End Page 15] using for his arm also dulls the emotional stress of dealing with his irresponsible parents. Eddie, who tortured Dana during the hazing ritual that cost Josh his life, is back at school after his incarceration, and he seems unreformed. Arielle is slowly rebuilding friendships that she herself broke with her superior attitude, but her circumstances at home are becoming unbearable. While each character copes with his or her family troubles, their school friendships strengthen as they look forward to college and life after high school. They have one more traumatic moment to live through, however, as their classmate Jack goes off his meds and shows up at school with an automatic weapon in a desperate bid to be noticed. Draper packs this novel with enough character drama to keep interest high and pages turning. In chapters alternately focusing on Kofi and Arielle, she manages to conclude narrative threads carried over from the earlier books while creating new interest by developing Osrick, a bullied character whom Arielle befriends to catch a school thief, and working through Arielle's problems with her bizarrely controlling stepfather as well as the stages of Kofi's addiction and recovery. The optimistic break with realism that finds almost all of the characters with multiple college acceptances and miraculous financial-aid opportunities will be forgiven on behalf of the likability of this group of kids; readers will find this relatively rosy conclusion to the gritty trilogy redemptive and satisfying.