Harmless

January 15, 2007
In a psychologically taut drama, Reinhardt (A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life
) delves into the minds of three private-school freshmen girls who tell a lie that turns out to be anything but "harmless." The parents of Anna, Emma and Mariah think the girls are at a movie when in fact the three are partying with some boys from the local public high school. When Emma's mother checks the theater and finds the girls missing, she text-messages her daughter and notifies the other parents. The girls know they're in big trouble unless they can make up a convincing explanation. They decide to tell everyone that Emma was attacked by a stranger (and rescued by Anna and Mariah) but the results of their fib prove to be disastrous, as outraged townspeople join with the police force to make sure that justice is served. Anna, Emma and Mariah react differently to their rising notoriety: Anna revels in taking the spotlight, Mariah wants the whole ordeal to be over, and Emma is wracked with guilt. Tension mounts after a homeless man is arrested for the crime. Besides showing how a "little" lie can quickly get out of control, the author convincingly creates three flawed heroines to whom teens can relate. The girls' complex family situations and relationships with each other add depth and tension to the story as well as adding credence to the reasons each is reluctant to make a confession. Ages 12-up.

May 21, 2007
Reinhardt's dramatic novel about three girls who tell a lie to avoid getting in trouble, only to find that the lie has terrible consequences far beyond their original intentions, is even more compelling on audio. Each of the narrators takes on the first-person accounts of one of the girls: jaded, rebellious Mariah; shy, sheltered Anna; moody, introspective Emma. The narrators excel at conveying the girls' anxiety, impulsiveness and guilt, as well as the desire for independence and excitement that led to their initial misbehavior. A slight criticism is that the actresses playing Emma and Anna have very similar voices, so listeners must pay close attention to the name given at the beginning of each section and to the narrative details to keep track of which character is speaking. Otherwise, this is a production that will keep listeners riveted. An exclusive bonus interview with the author is included. Ages 13-up.

June 1, 2007
Gr 7 Up -Dana Reinhardt's ripped-from-the-headlines novel is told in the first person, in alternating chapters, by three teen protagonistsAnna, Emma, and Mariahall freshmen at a private day school in a New York state college town. Mariah, one of the hottest girls in school, befriends best friends Anna and Emma and invites them to a party at the home of her boyfriend, who is older and attends the local public school. The girls easily get away with lying to their parents about where they are going. When the teens decide to meet the boys for a second time, they tell their parents that they're going to a movie. When they're caught in this lie, they concoct what they consider to be a harmless story about being down by the river and a man trying to attack one of them and the others fending him. The story works, until an innocent man is arrested and things mushroom out of control. Listeners are privy to how each girl is coping with the events as they unravel and what she thinks about the other girls' reactions. Teens will be drawn into the drama of how smart people can sometimes do stupid things, and will be satisfied with the difficult resolution each girl ultimately must face. Three female narrators do a convincing job of portraying each character in a realistic manner. As a bonus feature, there's an interview with the author about her motivation for writing the novel.Jo-Ann Carhart, East Islip Public Library, NY

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