Nothing to Lose

Rating:
Summary: Flinn takes her rightful place in YA excellence.
Review: When I read Alex Flinn's first novel, BREATHING UNDERWATER, I thought, "Here's a writer that might slide into the high ranks of realistic fiction." She understood the sometimes complicated lives of real teens with real challenges - a literary trail brilliantly blazed by Robert Courmier and Chris Crutcher before this opera singer turned lawyer turned author had even started to write. As I read NOTHING TO LOSE, I knew my instincts were on target. Contrary to what the one-star eleven-year-old said on June 5, 2004, this powerful novel is not predictable or dry. It's thoughtful and gripping and well worth its purchase price. I'm looking forward to watching Flinn's star rise, and to reading her next book. She "gets it." And that's not always easy to do.