Pushing Perfect

Gr 8 Up—Kara (aka Perfect Kara) is struggling to maintain her perfect grades and become valedictorian while dealing with panic attacks. She has already blown her chance at a National Merit Scholarship by not being able to get through the PSAT. The teen has demolished her old friendships because she was not able to be honest about the stress she is under. When a new friend offers her a drug to calm her down and help her ace the SATs, Kara thinks she has solved her problem. What she doesn't expect is the text from a Blocked Sender who knows what she did and is threatening to blackmail her if she doesn't follow instructions. As she tries to discover the identity of the mysterious blackmailer, she is far from alone—there is a large group of teens, all with secrets of their own, who are being blackmailed. Twists and turns abound as the young people bond in their attempt to uncover the blackmailer. Reminiscent of the novels of Joan Lowery Nixon and Lois Duncan with its methodical uncovering of clues and multiple red herrings, this mystery set in a modern-day well-to-do suburb in California will keep readers turning the pages. And the surprise at the end when Blocked Sender is revealed will keep teens pondering for a long time.