Reality Check

Author: Peter Abrahams
Recommended Age: 12 and up
Publisher: HarperTeens
ISBN: 978-0-06-122768-4
Year Published: 2009
No. Pages: 330
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Main Character Gender: Male
Award: Edgar Award Winner
Read & Reviewed by: Surene

  
What would you do if someone you love disappears mysteriously from their boarding school?

Cody Laredo is sixteen years old and a football star in a small Montana town. A torn ACL destroys Cody’s chances for a university scholarship and football career. Clea Weston, his smart and gorgeous ex-girlfriend is sent away to a boarding school in Dover, Vermont. Cody’s feelings for Clea haven’t changed and without Clea or football as incentive, Cody can’t keep up with his homework and stops going to school altogether. One day, Cody glances at a newspaper and learns that Clea has disappeared from her boarding school. Cody wastes no time and goes in search of her. Soon Cody learns to be resourceful and trust no one as he tries to solve the mystery of Clea’s disappearance.

Reality Check is written in third person but it primarily follows Cody as he unravels the mystery. Cody was a main character that I wanted to be with. Even though he is a male character, as a female reader, I could relate to him easily because he wasn’t perfect. My favourite characters are Cody and Clea. They were my favourites because they stand up for what they believe in and I got to know them better than anyone else. Clea is clever and sympathetic to others.

The dialogue also helped me to understand the characters’ emotions. I found the dialogue to be realistic and it reflected a sixteen-year-old’s voice. Since the story deals with teenagers, there is some swearing in the book.

Peter Abrahams revealed clues slowly so that as a reader, I could piece together the clues myself. This is an excellent book for anyone who loves mysteries and whodunits and suspense building reads. Peter Abrahams deserves several congratulations for this outstanding novel. This fast paced book can be easily read in one sitting. I will definitely read it again.