Starred Review ALA Booklist (Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 CST 2016)

Starred Review Rex and Tabby Jenson and their sons, Colt and Bastian, arrive in Freya Kiley's Australian neighborhood with little fanfare, but their presence sends fissures throughout their modest community. Rex showers his boys with gifts, but Colt feels nothing but resentment for their piles of toys. Their bounty, however, is a beacon for the other neighborhood boys, and soon Declan and Syd, Freya's brothers, along with oafish bully Garrick and willowy Avery, can't help but lurk in the Jensons' yard, while Freya finds herself seeking advice from Rex about her parents' volatile marriage. Rex is an effusive host, quick with a joke and eager to please, but it's not long before it becomes clear that Rex's generosity and sunny disposition are a shroud for something dangerously narcissistic, if not outright sinister. Hartnett spins her tale with stunning subtlety, building tension in tiny doses with measured sentences and potent metaphors. Rex's keening voice is "the frustrated sound of a night-hunting animal or accused prince," while Freya's father's anger is "a quicksandy pit." With the exception of Freya's father's drunken rages, the action is surprisingly mundane, nothing more than a bike ride, a conversation over tea, or scuffle between boys, but Hartnett teases so much from those minuscule moments that they spill over with a low-level, snowballing thrum of imminent violence and heartbreaking significance. Astoundingly brilliant.

School Library Journal Starred Review (Tue Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2016)

Gr 10 Up-There is something unsavory about Colt's father, and readers will feel that right away. Teenage Colt is one of two principal interior narrators and the new kid on the block. His father, Rex, is a dentist and flaunts his wealth by buying a pool and cool toys for the neighborhood boys. Through Colt's eyes, readers see revulsion and awareness of his father's ploys but not much concrete evidence of his father's guilt. The work is written in a timeless gothic tone with rich symbolism and figurative language. The other narrator, Freya, the eldest of six children of an alcoholic printer, is losing faith in God and looking for a hero. Freya's father is a wife beater, and she and Declan, the oldest boy, take the brunt of the responsibility, as does Colt, when Rex proves that he is not the hero she imagines. What is remarkable about this novel is the way in which every character is developed through shifting points of view, such as through the neighborhood bully, Garrick, and neglected waif Avery. The book is a portrait of a working-class neighborhood. Readers will muse over all the relationships in order to ascertain why violence is so often misdirected with the worst offenders remaining unscathed. VERDICT An absorbing read for mature teens, ready to face the ugly truth of scapegoating to maintain social cohesion, however broken.— Sara Lissa Paulson, City-As-School High School, New York City

Horn Book (Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

Colt's dentist father, Rex, appears to be a loving parent who gives his boys only the best. But Colt knows that, with Rex, "there's always some small cruelty." When the children in their new neighborhood become enamored with Rex, Colt wonders if Rex's wrongness is something only he sees. A mature, quiet, and intense story in which children suffer consequences for adult wickedness.

Voice of Youth Advocates

Colt Jenson and his brother have just moved to a new town. Already their father is trying to buy their way into the hearts of the neighborhood kids with a new BMX bike. It is working. The neighborhood boys flock to their yard. Besides the bike, Colt and Bastian have skateboards, the coolest toys, and a pool. They are more than willing to share. Colt's father tries to befriend all the kids; most of them look up to him, but Colt finds his presence annoying. He wishes his father would not try so hard and would just leave them all alone. Most of all, he wishes his father were different.Written as an adult book, older teens might enjoy this realistic slice of life for this neighborhood that suffers from bad parenting. The kids in the book face alcoholic parents, neglectful parents, parents that look the other way, and pedophiles. The neighborhood kids refuse to remain silent about their abusive parents, and additional conflicts arise. The book's ending is not sugar-coatedlife simply marches forward. Multiple perspectives make this a well-rounded read for teens interested in realistic drama.Jennifer Rummel.