Benched

Gr 7 Up—Cody and his friends are coerced by members of his brother's gang to perform what seems like a harmless prank: steal a bench from the local park. After the boys pull off the feat, Cody realizes that the bench was a memorial to his favorite teacher's father. To make matters worse, he is asked to cover the story for his school newspaper. When the gang members approach Cody and his friends again, they begin to understand that they are headed down a one-way street toward trouble. Tension mounts when Cody decides to confess the crime to his teacher and the newspaper editor. He must then find a way to make amends with his teacher, report the story fairly, and withdraw from the gang's violent pressure. Though reluctant readers may find themselves caught up in a situation beyond Cody's control, they may be disappointed in the ending as the boy's troubles neatly resolve themselves. Stilted dialogue and regional colloquialisms will turn off others. Inner city readers with their own gang experiences may cry, "Foul!" since Cody's encounters don't seem authentic. The overt moral will finish off the rest. Benched needs to remain benched, er, shelved.—H. H. Henderson, Heritage Middle School, Deltona, FL