WOLF HOLLOW, by Lauren Wolk

The story: New girl in town Betty is a bully, and Annabelle is her chosen victim. Annabelle and--when blame starts to circle around for Betty's almost criminal meanness--the shell-shocked vagabond everyone calls Toby. No matter how Annabelle tries, she can't convince the people around her of the truth...not even when Betty goes missing, and Toby is blamed. If she tries to help Toby, does she really become an accessory to a crie?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence PG-13; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse G; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (mental illness/PTSD, bullying, mistaken blame) PG, overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: I liked this story a lot, and I think the comparisons of it to Harper Lee's "To Kill A Mockingbird" are apt. However, I think getting kids to read it will be extremely hard work--it's not fun, and the good guys don't win. I think most kids who make it all the way through will be reading it as an assignment for English class--which is certainly not the worst fate a book could enjoy. It could easily end up on this year's Newbery short list.