Drugs and Date Rape

School Library Journal

Gr 6 UpSeries entries that tailor specific issues to reluctant teen readers. Overviews of drug ``families,'' such as stimulants and narcotics, and a variety of statistics (quoted from popular magazines) are found in all four titles. Posed black-and-white and full-color photos accent fictionalized scenarios that illustrate crucial points. Noticeable overlap and repetition occur, but each book makes distinct connections between specific societal concerns and substance abuse. They all introduce helpful and self-affirming coping strategies to assist teens in the development of psychologically healthy responses. Codependency is the strongest offering, with clear definitions, examples, a discussion of the compulsion connection, and specific ideas to assist students in ``starting life over.'' Date Rape offers safety tips as well as suggestions for parent/teen discussions. Gun Violence discusses gangs and their deadly combination with drugs in the schools. It encourages proactive behavior and personal responsibility in the resolution of conflict. Peer Pressure also offers guidance in ``How to Say No and Still Look Cool,'' but its focus is somewhat unclear and seems quite similar to Sandra Smith's Drugs and Your Friends (Rosen, 1993). Reasonable additions to YA collections, with their strength lying not in originality but in a knowledge of the intended audience and how to get information into their hands.Celia A. Huffman, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Cleveland