Paul Langan

This is pretty heavy stuff for a teen book! I love how the authors of these Blueford books draw you into the protagonists' world and make you feel what they feel, even if it's something you can't relate to personally. Survivor is certainly no exception. I felt the same pain, the guilt, the shame that this girl carried with her since her childhood and I felt the incredible courage that she had to have to do what she did. Very few books have touched me to my core as these books have, I highly recommend them!… (meer)

Darcy Wills is beginning her junior year at Bluford High after an eventful summer. Her beloved grandmother died, her mother is pregnant, her father has moved back in promising that he is sober, and she and Hakeem, her ex, is back after moving to Detroit at the beginning of the summer. But now in early September the night before school starts Darcy sees him again with mutual friends Tarah and Cooper. Darcy does not know what to tell him about the summer. It turns out he’s keeping secrets too. To make matters worse, tensions are rising at home between her mother and father. Her mother is worried about bills, the new baby, and reconciling with her husband who came back after walking out five years ago. Darcy has a falling out with her best friend Tarah and she feels completely alone and wonders who she can trust. This is the fifth book with Darcy in the Bluford High series and like the others it portrays real problems with believable inner-city slang, though no profanity. It is unnecessary to read the entire series because enough of the back-story is included to understand what has come before. The happy ending may seem too pat to some readers but it is a good choice none the less for reluctant readers.… (meer)