It's a Matter of Trust

The ALAN Review - Hugh Agee

When sixteen-year-old Erika Gresham's father, a state education official, is charged with extortion, Erika's world seems to fall apart. The media hounds the family, and some of Erika's classmates are most unkind. The family moves in with her mother's parents for privacy. Erika and her brother, who is away at college, struggle with their feelings about their father's humiliating acts. When Erika wins a tennis tournament by calling a ball out of bounds that isn't, she rationalizes her own dishonesty as a way of punishing her father, who is watching. Erika details the events leading up to the trial and the resolution of the case. With the support of her best friend, Allison, and Greg, a co-worker at the summer camp where she works, Erika can finally come to terms with herself, her tennis coach, and especially her father, who faces a two-year prison term. Through first-person narrative and media clips, Marcia Byalick keeps the focus on Erika, making this a good first novel that will interest female readers in grades 7-10.

Children's Literature - Judy Silverman

What is life like for a teenage girl whose father has committed a "white-collar" crime? Marcia Byalick's It's A Matter Of Trust answers that question, and many more. No one is dead, no one was hurt, but newspaper reporters camp out at the door, so the family hides at the grandparents' house until the trial is over-which just seems to create more problems. This is a well-told "problem" novel with realistic characters.

School Library Journal

Gr 7-10Erika Gresham's world, as she had always known it, is blown out of the water. Her father and his best friend are arrested for bribery, the press sets up camp outside her home, and her best friend spreads the word at school. Erika's emotional turmoil affects her tennis game, her grades, and her friends. She begins to slide toward self-loathing, lashing out at everyone, but especially her father, whom she can no longer respect. This story focuses on a timely topic in contemporary society, viewed through the eyes of the unwitting victimsthe family. Providing realistic situations and conflicts that must be faced head on, the author plots a gigantic emotional rollercoaster ride for the major characters. Readers will be drawn to Erika's self-examinations and her attempts to deal with the sudden demise of her secure world. YAs will find a wealth of issues to discuss in this unsettling, thought-provoking novel.Jana R. Fine, Clearwater Public Library System, FL