Break the Surface

Children's Literature

Tom Sinclair is looking for his girlfriend Alice. She disappeared just as they were getting to know one another. Or were they? Tom had secrets from his past, slowly revealed to the reader through his journal. But Alice has many secrets of her own, only a few of which are revealed to the reader. While the introduction claims that this is "not a work of fiction" there are a few clues that help the reader to know that this is in fact a story and not a real on-line journal found by the editors as they claim. Tom's voice is much more sophisticated than that of a high school senior, even one who attends an elite Manhattan high school. The revelation of Tom's secret is slowly exposed throughout the book, stringing the reader along in a way that had to be cunningly thought out. Throughout the book the reader is pulled along, eager to know what Alice is hiding from Tom and how this information plays into her disappearance. As a work of suspense this novel captures the reader and makes one eager for the next installment—Alice's diary: Watching Alice: Walk on Water. 2004, Razorbill/Penguin Group, Ages 12 up.
—Wendy M. Smith-D'Arezzo

KLIATT

Alice Brown is missing and the police have been unable to find her. Tom Sinclair hopes that if he publishes his journal, readers will be able to help find Alice. The journal details Tom's struggles to fit in at his new school. Exiled from Vermont after a terrible incident and now living in New York City with his father, Tom is determined to be a loner. He carries around the journal and writes in it constantly, which becomes the basis of this story. Alice forces her way into his life, using tutoring as a pretense to get close to him. He notices that people are always watching them together. Her former group of friends acts strangely around her. After Tom feels comfortable enough with Alice to reveal his past, she disappears, and no one will talk about it. The first volume in a trilogy, this book is written in the popular diary format, which draws readers in and makes the story seem more real. The addition of a Web site that interested teens can visit makes the mystery of Alice's disappearance more exciting. Readers can go to the site and look at clues, post their own ideas about solving the case, and even see a video of Alice. Recommended for teens interested in mystery or suspense as well as those who enjoy diary fiction. (Break the Surface, book 1). KLIATT Codes: JS—Recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2004, Penguin, Razorbill, 202p., Ages 12 to 18.
—Olivia Durant

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-"Real life" Manhattan teen Tom Sinclair wants readers' help to find his missing girlfriend, Alice, so he is publishing his diaries-and hers, too, in the case of the second volume-and posting a Web site, in the hopes that readers can make some sense of her disappearance. Mysterious, painful, unspoken pasts abound: Tom is haunted by a horrible incident involving a now-imprisoned psychotic friend in their former Vermont town, and Alice was trying to escape some deep-seated and dangerous guilt involving her past involvement with a high school clique that is apparently into some twisted, dangerous cult. The mood of the diaries is unrelentingly tense, with both characters continuously panicked throughout, and every moment of calm quickly unveiled as a false hope. At times this bogs down the mystery, making it hard to buy that whatever is going on could really be all that horrible-but with a little suspension of disbelief and patience, readers will find themselves caring about these intelligent, fairly realistic characters and eagerly anticipating the next installment. Be warned that impatient or reluctant readers may get tired after the second title; the third, fortunately, once again picks up the pace.-Rhona Campbell, Washington DC Public Library Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.