Bad

BAD: Jean Ferris: Farrar, Straus, Giroux: Young Adult: 181

After being caught in the middle of an armed robbery, 16-year-old Dallas is living in a juvenile detention center for girls, where she mixes with a variety of teens--some desperately trying to turn their lives around and others simply waiting to return to their former homes and crimes.

This book is based on the author's interviews with girls in a juvenile detention center in California, and the research is evident in the realism of the different characters. A lot of interesting issues about nature versus nurture and free will are examined as Dallas and the other juvie residents consider how they got where they are and if they can change. This is another book that gives a very good snapshot of a moment in several lives without necessarily coming up with any happy endings or resolutions.

MBC