Roadside Attraction

Higgins (Iggy) takes readers to the tiny town of Ferris, Ariz., in this tense addition to the Gravel Road Rural line, written at a first-grade reading level. After Logan Monroe, 16, meets a 14-year-old girl named Brooke, who is hitchhiking her way to Oklahoma City where her grandmother lives, his protective instincts kick in. He initially tries to buy her a bus ticket and eventually decides to drive her there himself. But Brooke isn’t terribly interested in Logan’s help, especially after he discovers that she has been cutting herself with a razor. The terse, clipped narration and dialogue is readily accessible and serves the characters and scene-setting well. Brooke’s struggles and Logan’s sense of loyalty, both to Brooke and to his father (who suffers from panic attacks and anxiety), will easily keep readers engaged in this coming-of-age story. Ages 14–up. (May)