EVERY SHINY THING, by Cordelia Jensen and Laurie Morrison

The story: Lauren is a budding activist, angry that her autistic brother has been sent away to a special school, and looking for a way to help fund change. Sierra is the foster child who moves in next door, worried about her inability to rescue her alcoholic mother. The girls strike up a friendship just as Lauren learns how easy it is to shoplift and sell things, then put the money in her good-deed fund. Sierra is worried about it, but feels that her job as a friend is to enable what her friend is so passionate about. Seems like things are going perfectly, but Lauren reaches just a bit too far, and now there are consequences for both girls. Painful consequences. Maybe even life-changing ones.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence G; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse G; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (addiction, dishonesty and theft) PG-13; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: It's squirm-inducing to watch Lauren self-destruct without ever considering the possible consequences. It's been a long time since I was 13, so maybe 7th graders really are that heedless and clueless, but seeing her headlong descent into disaster mostly made me want to shake her. However, kids looking for redemption in their own lives maybe be comforted to learn (through the trusted avenue of fiction) that even if the process is painful, you can turn yourself around. Sierra also learns important lessons about being an enabler. This one is pretty much just for girls.