Wednesday, February 03, 2010

Candor (YA)


Candor. By Pam Bachorz. 2009. [September 2009]. Egmont USA. 256 pages.

Ca-chunk, ca-chunk, ca-chunk. The sound drifts through my bedroom window. Pokes through my homework haze. It's not loud, but it's impossible to ignore. Because it doesn't belong here.

Oscar Banks is only pretending to be perfect. But he may be the only one pretending. You see, in the town of Candor, you are what you hear. And there are non-stop messages (hidden in the music) telling everyone how to behave. Parents with troubled teens pay a lot of money to "transform" their kids into perfect ones. It takes a week or two at most, and then independence and free thinking are things of the past.

Oscar's not following in his father's footsteps. He's only pretending his father (and his inventions) are the best thing ever. He is using "the messages" to accomplish what he wants. He runs a rescue operation. For the right price, he can get you out of town. It's not easy. It's a risk. But if you've got the money and the goods (contraband items), then he might just make you a deal.

Enter Nia. She could just be the love of his life. But with her Oscar faces the most dangerous challenge of all. Love.

I definitely recommend this one. I thought the premise was interesting, and it was nicely carried out. It was hard to put this one down. Some of the characters annoyed me--I must admit Sherman got on my nerves--but for the most part, I really enjoyed this one!



© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

3 comments:

Stiletto Storytime said...

Sounds interesting! Thanks for the review Becky...just put it on my list!

Unknown said...

Keep seeing this one about and I have to say, I think its going to hit the TBR pile at some point! :)

Michelle said...

I enjoyed this book immensely, particularly the ending. It made the ride all the more worthwhile and was so interesting. I though the perky cheerleader was super annoying too! But I suppose that was in character, haha.