Starred Review for Publishers Weekly

Told through the alternating present-tense perspectives of two runaways who connect through their love of rock climbing, Carbone%E2%80%99s (Blood on the River) picaresque novel is equal parts entertaining and provocative. Strong-willed 16-year-old P.K. runs away to avoid being shipped to boarding school, and gentle-natured Critter, who has the ability to see colors that indicate people%E2%80%99s emotions (for reasons he keeps to himself for some time), escapes from a psychiatric hospital. The teens hitchhike to Las Vegas and jump at the chance to make the first-ever ascent of a steep rock face. Chapters range from a few sentences to a few pages, and the descriptions of the pair%E2%80%99s climbs are riveting%E2%80%94especially a treacherous scramble up a cliff with police in pursuit. Yet the narrators%E2%80%99 psychological explorations are as exhilarating as their physical exploits. The allegedly unbalanced Critter takes serenity to new heights as he shares with P.K. logical, relatable coping mechanisms (%E2%80%9CYou%E2%80%99re scared of the future.... look at where you are now. Is there anything to be afraid of?%E2%80%9D). An incisive reflection on endurance, independence, belonging, self-knowledge, and love, this story should find a wide audience. Ages 12%E2%80%93up. (May)

ALA Booklist (Sat May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)

Told from alternating viewpoints, Carbone's latest novel reads more like a rock-climbing manual than a romance. P. K. and Critter are troubled teens who meet at a climbing gym. P. K.'s parents are sending her to boarding school, and Critter has just escaped from a psychiatric hospital. The two decide to run away to Nevada ere they establish a new climbing route and P. K. nearly kills herself on an ambitious climb d Yosemite as they try to evade the authorities and P. K.'s dad. Although Carbone struggles with characterization, Critter's life philosophies and quirky ability to see people's auras make him the more interesting of the pair. Readers never even learn what P. K. stands for. The alternating chapters are short, making this novel a quick read despite clocking in at almost 300 pages. There's plenty of technical terminology to satisfy rock-climbing readers, though others may overlook it to root for P. K. and Critter to be together.

Kirkus Reviews

Two teenage runaways bond as they scale various challenging cliff faces in this romantic adventure that will please fans of both Anthony Horowitz and Meg Cabot. Critter is a fugitive from a mental institution to which he was committed after a suicide attempt. P.K. is desperate to escape her parents' plans to send her to boarding school. The two meet at a local gym, where Critter agrees to accompany P.K. on a spontaneous rock-climbing trip that will continue until they are captured or run out of cash. Critter's fresh enthusiasm for life, born from his near-death experience and based on a Buddhist-like philosophy, is positive and funny, deepening the plot and contrasting nicely with P.K.'s anxious personality. Soon they are sharing their life stories and falling in love. Suspense builds as they stay one step ahead of the authorities, and the climbing sequences are action-packed and intense. (Familiarity with rock-climbing terminology isn't essential, but it does help.) The short chapters, unusual topic and alternating first-person voices make this an exceptional choice for reluctant readers. (Fiction. 12 & up)

School Library Journal (Tue Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)

Gr 8 Up-P.K. has decided to run away before her parents can send her to boarding school. When her climbing friends at the local gym decline her invitation to come along, she enlists a handsome stranger to join her. What she doesn't know is that Critter, who is a gifted climber, has recently escaped from a mental institution, where his parents committed him following a suicide attempt. Thing is, Critter's near-death experience has left him feeling great. He sees people's auras, can feel their moods, and oftentimes intuit their thoughts. He believes that since the past has passed and the future can't be known, one might as well live as purely in the present as possible. His mantra is, "What would you do if you weren't afraid?" Demonstrating these principles to P.K. as they cross the country, climbing first at Red Rocks in Nevada and later at Yosemite, they evade capture by the authorities when they can and escape when they can't. There is enough climbing lingo and action to interest gym rats, and it's hyped by the tension and passion of their developing relationship. All's well that ends well, and madness, at least in the case of Critter, seems not to be all that different from believing that oneanyonemight reasonably choose a road less traveled. Joel Shoemaker, South East Junior High School, Iowa City, IA

Voice of Youth Advocates

While P. K. and Critter have very different problems, they have both determined that running away is their only option, especially as it will allow them to indulge in their love of rock climbing. P. K.Æs parents have decided that she should go to boarding school, starting with a summer session designed to separate her from the friends of whom they do not approve. Unfortunately, none of her friends are willing to go with her. When a gorgeous strangerùan impossibly good climberùagrees to go with her, P. K. does not ask questions. Meanwhile Critterùwho is not depressed but experiencing a newfound clarity that his family is unable to understandùescapes from a psych ward in which his parents committed him after a suicide attempt. The two teenagers join a team that is establishing a new route while traveling across the country, all the while being chased by security sent by their parents to bring them back. CarboneÆs familiarity with rock climbing roots this story in reality. The charactersÆ love of their sport shines through and will broaden its appeal to readers of sports fiction. This tale told in alternating points of view moves quickly while the relationship between P. K. and Critter is reminiscent of Auden and Eli in Sarah DessenÆs Along for the Ride (Viking, 2009/VOYA June 2009). ?Betsy Fraser.