Twisted

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Karen T. Bilton, Mary Jacobs Library, Rocky Hill, NJ -- School Library Journal, 12/7/2007

Twisted (unabr.) 5 CDs. 6:26 hrs. Prod by Listening Library. Dist. by Listening Library/Books on Tape. 2007. ISBN 978-0-7393-5102-4. $45.

Gr 9 Up–Tired of his image as a geek and being ignored at school, Tyler’s graffiti spraying stunt at the end of his junior year in high school gets him arrested. He spends the summer doing community service and landscaping work and returns to school with a pumped up body and a new bad-boy image. The beautiful and popular Bethany (the daughter of his father’s boss ) falls for him but dumps him when he refuses to sleep with her when she’s drunk. Things quickly slide downhill from there, making Tyler’s life tense both at school and at home. The teen becomes more and more emotionally unstable and he tries to figure out how to remedy the situation. Mike Chamberlain punches out the voice of Tyler with honesty and intensity. This novel (Viking, 2007) by Laurie Halse Anderson has a captivating, fast-paced plot, laugh-out-loud one liners, and gritty realism that will keep listeners enthralled.