CATCH YOU LATER, TRAITOR, by Avi

The story: When his teacher says that Pete's dad is a Communist, Pete hardly even knows what that means. But as his friends drop him like a hot potato, Pete decides to figure out if it's true--and if it is, how did the FBI find out about it? And can they really come around and bug you until you rat out your own father? Pete knows he didn't do it, but he also knows someone close to them did...now he has to find out who, even as he's finding out the truth about his family's past, and how it just might mess up his very own present.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence G; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG (chain smoking); Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (political blackballing, McCarthyism) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: Pete's favorite books are mysteries, and part of the fun here is when he turns a Sam-Spade-like hand to his descriptions. Avi does a good job of describing the weirdness of the time, the exuberance of baseball in New York, and Pete's determination to find out the truth. The only drawback is the truly terrible cover--Pete looks like an alien. Change it out for the new PB cover if you can!