Sketchy

Gr 10 Up—Beatrice Washington is just out of rehab. While there she developed a talent for drawing what people are thinking, sometimes unconsciously. She wishes it didn't happen and even considers using drugs again to prevent it. She eventually calls her talent drawing "the truth out of people." At school, she finds that her reputation has preceded her. Her saving grace is a classmate who was her friend at art camp. Chris tells her that a popular female classmate, Willa, was raped but does not know who did it. While looking at Willa, Bea draws a face she recognizes: her former drug dealer and boyfriend, Marcus. She confronts him but he swears his only connection to Willa is through supplying her habit. Bea becomes obsessed with finding the rapist/murderer after an old friend is found dead, becoming his third victim. Although much of the action strains credulity and the drawings need to be more photographic to work as described, Bea's struggle to stay sober and her desire to help even those who don't seem to deserve it make her story compelling. Several threads are left untied, with a childhood memory being the most intriguing, leaving open the possibility for a sequel. Teens who like their mysteries mixed with a touch of the supernatural will gravitate toward this debut.—Suanne B. Roush, Osceola High School, Seminole, FL