The Rule of Thirds

Gr 7–10—Pippa Greene carries her camera almost as an extension of her arm. She and her friend Dace have their futures all worked out with Dace modeling and Pippa shooting the pictures. She plans to enter the Vantage Point photography contest as a junior to try and win the summer-camp scholarship to Tisch, a prestigious school in New York. She uses photography to help maintain her focus because of life-altering changes over the past year. For her school's volunteer-service requirement, she is assigned to the local hospital. The first time she visits, she passes out, and through a series of flashbacks readers learn that her father, also a photographer, recently died of cancer there. Pippa's never had much success with her love life, but then she meets two fascinating boys. Dylan also volunteers at the hospital, but since he was supposed to go to Harvard this year, it's odd that he's still in town. Is he hiding something important? And there's Ben, the tall, handsome new guy who joins the photography club. He is a bit possessive, and he seems eager to work on entries for the contest with her. Even with the distractions the boys provide, Pippa works through her memories of her father, and an unexpected ending brings the novel to a satisfying conclusion. The story flows nicely, has believable characters, and will appeal to readers looking for a realistic tale with a bit of romance.—Diana Pierce, formerly at Leander High School, TX