Templeman, McCormick The Little Woods, 336 pgs. Schwartz & Wade Books, 2012. $17.99. Language: R (110 total, 26 ‘f”); Mature Content: PG-13; Violence: PG-13
Cally Wood is newly arrived at St. Bede’s an elite boarding school known for rigorous curriculum and high academic achievement. It’s better known to Cally as the place where her older sister disappeared and presumably died years before. Can Cally discover the truth about what happened at St. Bede’s so long ago especially now that another girl has disappeared? Is this recent disappearance linked to what happened to Cally’s sister or does more than one monster stalk the woods?
This book provides a nice little mystery presented with plenty of teen angst. Unfortunately, the broader story gets bogged down with an incredible amount of inappropriate language that serves only to detract from the narrative. The actions of the main characters, in regard to sex, drugs, and value judgments, are treated with stunning disregard. Major decisions are made with few if any significant consequences. Overall a book that could have been enjoyable, but is defeated by its desperate need to be hip and clever.
HS—OPTIONAL, AEB Social Studies Teacher
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