The Inevitable Collision of Birdie & Bash

Gr 9 Up—After a charged encounter at a party, the lives of two strangers become unknowingly entwined. Bash is in the passenger's seat as his intoxicated friend hits the stroller carrying Birdie's younger brother before driving off in a hit-and-run. Both Birdie and Bash must contend with guilt as they navigate their individual family struggles. Bash works to present a facade of success to his dying mother and cover for his rich, troubled friend as his life crumbles. Birdie feels responsible for her brother's accident and copes by maintaining a veneer of denial, going to school, and starting a new job. The two coincidentally meet a week later when Birdie begins work at the roller skating rink where Bash is employed. As their feelings for each other grow, Bash must decide whether to confess his role in Birdie's brother's accident. Told in alternating chapters, the book weaves the theme of chemistry into the story (Birdie loves it, while Bash can't understand it), and "lessons of the day" at the end of each chapter use the chemistry motif to convey Birdie's feelings. A potentially intriguing plot goes largely unmined owing to little character development and lack of credible plotting.