Starred Review High-school pitching star Braden Raynor watches helplessly as cops surround his father, Mart, who hosts an Evangelical radio show, and arrest him for the murder of a police officer. Terrified and guilt-ridden, Braden fears that he is at fault for his father's actions and that Mart acted out of love for him. Initially relieved to hear that his estranged older brother, Trey, will be coming back to act as his guardian, Braden is grieved to discover that Trey still openly despises Mart. Worse, Trey has abandoned his faith, which, along with baseball, is an essential part of Braden's bond with his father. Suspense builds as flashbacks reveal that Mart has constructed an emotionally possessive and manipulative relationship with Braden, leaving Braden to equate loyalty to his father with loyalty to God. Braden is a deeply sympathetic character, slowly coming to realize that he has been systematically broken by the only person he trusts. Gilbert respectfully and sensitively handles themes of faith, religion, and family t to mention the importance of baseball illustrate how tightly small towns cling, often destructively, to their own. Fans of Carl Dueker's multilayered sports novels, Harlan Coben's psychological thrillers, or Bryan Bliss' No Parking at the End Times (2014) will all be captivated by Gilbert's moving debut.

Gr 4-6 All the evil villains of Disney movie fame have been exiled to the Isle of the Lost. A huge dome covers the island, keeping them from using any magic. They are relegated to eating scraps and wearing castoffs of the good citizens of Auradon, ruled by King Beast and Queen Belle. The children of Maleficient, Jabar, Evil Queen, and Cruella De Vil (respectively Mal, Jay, Evie, and Carlos) don't know any other life away from the island. Every aspect of their existence is focused on becoming more evil, and finding nefarious ways to entertain themselves. When Carlos invents a device that is meant to provide them with more cable channels, he inadvertently opens a hole in the dome, allowing a tiny bit of magic to reactivate Maleficient's scepter, the Dragon's Eye. The four go off on a quest to find the staff, each for their own selfish reasons. All the while, though, the descendants of the most evil villains to ever walk the earth are starting to (gasp!) show signs of caring for each other. And over on Auradon, Prince Ben, son of Beast and Belle, is having visions of a beautiful blue-haired girl he's never met, even though he's betrothed to Princess Audrey, daughter of Aurora. Clich&3;d characters and a predictable plot probably won't deter young readers from finishing this fun little romp through practically every Disney movie ever made. VERDICT Billed as a prequel to a Disney Channel movie, there's a built-in fan base for this story. Disney lovers and fairy-tale fans alike will need to get their hands on this book. Mandy Laferriere, Fowler Middle School, Frisco, TX