A NIGHT OWL REVIEWS BOOK REVIEW | Reviewed by: Diana Coyle
In this second book of the series, AJ Dawson is teenager who is gifted with a special ability. She can see visions before they happen. Never did she think that her ability would come in so handy though until one of her visions involves someone in a serious accident off an extremely high cliff. The problem she faces is that she doesn’t know who the person is because her visions come to her as if she is the actual victim acting them out.
She tells her two best friends, Sophie Sinora and Krysta Richards, who also are both gifted with their own special abilities, about her new vision. Sophie is telepathic and Krysta receives visits from dead people. They all made a pact years ago with each other not to tell anyone of their gifts because they know they will be ostracized for having them. Each girl helps each other to try and perfect their abilities, but in the process they try in the worst way to remain as normal as any other teenager.
Poor AJ also tells her best friends that she is now going out with Bob Klinek. He is a very different kind of guy. He is a skater and a punk. AJ, on the other hand, is the basketball team captain and a pitcher for her softball team. AJ’s appearance is that of any ordinary teenage. Bob, on the other hand, stands out because he is sporting green spiky hair and earrings all over the place.
Not only do her best friends give her a hard time about dating Bob, but also once he meets AJ’s family the idea doesn’t go over well with them either. If that isn’t bad enough, AJ learns that her basketball team is planning a party and they aren’t going to invite her because of her attitude.
Will AJ be able to prevent the cliff accident even though she still doesn’t know who it’s going to happen to? What happens between her and Bob? Does the basketball team ever start inviting her to their parties?
I loved this story just as much as I did the first one in Ms. West’s series. I felt bad for AJ because she was going through so much inner conflict with worrying who the accident victim was going to be, the reactions she was receiving from everyone regarding Bob and being left out of personal things such as parties and get togethers by her fellow teammates. She was battling quite a bit on her own and I admired how she worked her way through every situation. Ms. West is an extremely talented young adult writer and her stories are extremely engrossing and entertaining. I would definitely recommend this story to teenagers and adult alike. Keep the stories coming, Ms. West!
Jul 28, 2008 | 9781601542298
5 = Rare - Top Pick | 4.5 = I Loved It - Top Pick | 4 = Good Solid Read
3.5 = Enjoyable | 3 Stars = OK - Needs a few changes | 2 Stars = It just didn't click / DNF
Book Blurb for Don't Tell Mother
Raised under the shadow of her popular and spoiled brother, AJ Dawson struggles to get any kind of compliment from her mother. She can't escape her troubled home-life at school, when she is forced to deal with a lot of the same issues. Her immature coach is determined to turn the team against her, her teammates are bent on losing every game, and the rest of the school population cowers in her presence. AJ's mounting frustration could turn her into a ticking time bomb, and she knows the first step to solving her problems is to gain acceptance from her mother. Easier said than done. Her relationship with her mother goes from bad to worse when AJ's new green-haired boyfriend knocks on the door. She knows she'll have to clean up her guy if she wants to earn Mom's respect. But AJ's secret ability to foretell the future is driving her and her mom further apart, and if she doesn't tell her mom about her horrible vision soon, her brother will die.
|