Mazer's latest novel would give Alfred Hitchock a run for his money. The five Herbert sisters, who bear names evoking innocence (Beauty, Mim, Fancy, Autumn and Stevie), are observed by a nameless adult male who mentally sorts them to select one as prey. The acclaimed young-adult author tells her story from different points of view as each girl reveals secrets and dreams, but the stalker's creepy thought process, often covering fewer than two pages, is absolutely spellbinding. Mazer skillfully delineates the girls' emergence from childhood (one sister recalls skating on a frozen pond, another sews a button on a stuffed animal) by contrasting horrifying scenes of the abducted sister held prisoner by the predator. Short chapters move the story along at a brisk clip, but whispered secrets revealing love desires of two older sisters seemed to be a tacked-on device that fades away unresolved. These minor complaints are not a distraction, and a ten-second booktalk will ignite teen buzz for this outstanding work. (Fiction. YA)

A stranger stalks the five sisters of a closely knit family in this taut drama. Alternating the viewpoints of the predator, who cultivates the anonymous appearance of “any respectable, ordinary man,” and the Herbert girls, who cross his path each day on their way to and from school, Mazer (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">After the Rain) keeps readers on the edge of their seats with the knowledge that one of the five will be targeted for foul play. Distracted by worries—their father's disabling injury, dwindling funds, and individual problems they face at school—the girls pay little notice to the man and are oblivious to his growing fixation on the youngest sister, 11-year-old Autumn. The author relays her subsequent kidnapping suspensefully yet judiciously, conveying the terror Autumn experiences but only suggesting her actual molestation. Sharply delineated characters, engrossing narrative and Mazer's keen insight into the psychology of both stalker and victim keep the tension ratcheted way, way up. Ages 12-up. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Feb.)

PreS-Gr 2 This book has everything to attract kids and tickle their funny bonespirates, smelly socks, and, best of all, undies! In rollicking rhyme, Harley tells of a "cruel and evil man" who sails the seven seas with his crew, stealing dirty socks to hang proudly on the ship's rigging. But Dirty Joe meets his match when he comes upon Stinky Annie and her all-female crew, buccaneers who specialize in pilfering and displaying undergarments: "Boxers big and boxers small, with stripes and polka dots,/And tighty-whities hung there too, like the ones your grandpa's got." After a battle fought with swords, toasters, tennis rackets, and whatever else comes to hand, the barefoot women prevail and, in a heartfelt and humorous moment, Joe and Annie discover that they are siblings. That doesn't stop Annie from taking Joe's drawers, leading to a last-page bemoaning of the fact that older sisters hold a lifelong upper hand. Davis's balloon-headed, goofy characters are just right for the tale. The chaotic full-color pictures are jam-packed with pirates and dirty laundry. The crews, dressed in a hilarious mishmash of styles, will have readers poring over the pages to spot amusing details. Even kids who aren't pirate fans will be wooed and wowed by this rib-tickling tale. Marge Loch-Wouters, Menasha Public Library, WI

Starred Review Like Robert Cormier's Tenderness (1997), this novel peeks into the mind of a villain with ominous effectiveness. The story unfolds through several viewpoints cluding that of an obsessive predator, who might have been plucked right out of adult crime fiction. The five Herbert sisters don't know he's watching them. They're too preoccupied by their own needs: Beauty, the oldest (who is actually quite plain), counts the days until she can leave home; Fancy, learning-disabled, talks and talks and drives everybody crazy with her chatter; and Autumn, the youngest, feels ignored within her noisy, busy family. Because money is tight, 14-year-old Stevie, the angry and emotional sister, is chosen to move in with an aunt. On the day of her departure, while the family is in sad confusion, 11-year-old Autumn disappears. Her confinement in the kidnapper's home is horrific, and though Mazer isn't overly graphic, she does include some chilling sequences. Autumn's escape (if very like a made-for-TV movie scene) is both gripping and satisfying, yet there's substance here, too. Mazer's strong characterizations and her portrayal of family relationships stand out. Quiet Mim, the second oldest, does fade into the background (that she turns out to be gay seems an awkward attempt at differentiation), but the others gry, selfish, and loving by turns come distinct within the first several chapters, and their bonds as sisters emerge as authentic and as strong as steel.

In this chilling novel, five sisters go about their lives, unaware of a man's obsession with them until one becomes his prisoner. Alternating chapters tell the story from three of the sisters' perspectives and the man's point of view, told in measured, creepy prose. Mazer crafts a skillful psychological examination of a disturbed, dangerous predator and a family that experiences trauma.

The man watches the five Herbert sisters on his way to work and decides which one to choose. Not the oldest, who is too tall; not the quiet one, who is skinny; and not the one who seems slow. The man likes either the sullen one or the youngest, with her long brown hair. For a long time, he observes but takes no action. Unaware that they are being scrutinized daily, the Herbert girls carry on with their lives. They go to school, engage in sisterly squabbles and joys, and try to cope in an impoverished household. Ranging in age from eleven to seventeen, the sisters are close and love each other. When their father decides for economic reasons to "lend" fourteen-year-old Stevie to a distant aunt, the girls are traumatized. Angry and sad, eleven-year-old Autumn goes for a walk and disappears, throwing the family into turmoil. Told from various points of view, this novel enables the reader to be inside the characters' minds, learning about them and their relationships. Most affecting is Autumn's voice, telling what it is like to be kidnapped and held prisoner. Without being graphic, Mazer ably conveys the terror, confusion, and fear experienced by an abducted child. The tension builds steadily until the denouement, making for a riveting read. Mazer again proves herself a superlative young adult novelist, crafting a story that is impossible to put down. By turns moving and frightening, this satisfying tale of sadness and bravery will appeal to students in grades seven and up.-Rachelle Bilz.