Jump the Cracks

Publishers Weekly

DeKeyser's debut novel begins with a sticky moral dilemma that will have readers questioning what they would do under similar circumstances. On the train to New York City to visit her father, 15-year-old Victoria sees a mother abandon her toddler son in the bathroom and rush off to meet the boyfriend she's been talking to on her cell phone. At that moment, Victoria decides to take the boy and find him a home-something she herself has been longing for since her parents' recent divorce. Events quickly spiral out of control: the police want Victoria on kidnapping charges and the boyfriend, too, is after her-believing she stole his drug money. DeKeyser convincingly portrays Victoria's struggle to understand what happened to her once-perfect family and to protect the small boy. But the other characters seem like stereotypes: the down-on-her-luck single mom, the well-meaning but absent father, the scary drug-dealing boyfriend (at one point he calls Victoria on her cell: "I want my money without any funny stuff, or the kid ends up in the river"). The cartoon quality of the villain undercuts everything else. Ages 13-up. (Mar.)

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VOYA

AGERANGE: Ages 12 to 18.

After her parents' divorce, fifteen-year-old Victoria does not have much faith in adults. On the train to visit her father in New York, she sits near a young mother and her toddler son. Victoria is bothered by what she witnesses. The mother is rude and rough with the boy, who appears bruised and unwashed. When the train pulls into Penn Station, the mother disembarks, leaving her son in the train's bathroom. Victoria watches the young woman argue, apparently about money, with a large man. Without thinking about what she is doing, Victoria rescues the child from his hideaway and stays on the train with him as it leaves the station. Victoria thinks that she is helping an abandoned and abused child, but she rapidly sinks deeper into a complicated situation. Now on the run, she is unsure what to do next but certain that she cannot let the child return to his parents. Even when Victoria learns she is wanted on kidnapping charges, her dedication to saving this child never wavers. Although her parents and the police entreat her to return, Victoria does not trust that they will protect the child. Strong characters and fast-paced action make up for a plot that often lacks believability. Victoria acts in haste, but her intentions are pure. Her attempt to save one child from falling through the cracks sheds light on the whole system that deals with abused and neglected children, leading to discussions about accountability. Reviewer: Amanda MacGregor
April 2008 (Vol. 31, No. 1)

KLIATT - Olivia Durant

Even before her parents divorced, Victoria couldn't rely on her father to show up when she needed him. Now she is on her way to New York City by train to stay with him for a month. The trip has hardly begun when Victoria encounters a young mother treating her toddler roughly. Feeling immediately sorry for the child, she keeps a close eye on him, hoping to alert someone that he needs help. Since she's only a teenager, though, no one will listen to her. When the mother appears to abandon the boy in the train's bathroom while making a drug deal on the platform, it's the last straw for Victoria, who decides he'd be better off with someone who cares about him: her. She accidentally takes the next train out with him, since her father is late again, and the situation quickly deteriorates. Not only is she on the run from the police, but the mother's boyfriend is making threatening calls to her cell phone. Victoria funds her escapade with stolen drug money and treats the little boy with seemingly endless patience while trying to figure out a solution. Victoria's own family difficulties influence her actions at every turn, and even though the ending is somewhat implausible, readers will appreciate her wanting to make sure young Danny finds a stable home. Some themes explored here are those of family and responsibility. This book will appeal to teens who enjoy contemporary fiction, especially stories about teens caring for babies or young children. Reviewer: Olivia Durant

School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up

Frustrated by her parents' divorce two years earlier, 15-year-old Victoria convinces her mother to let her travel from Connecticut to stay in New York with her father for the summer. She witnesses a teen speaking harshly to her toddler son and sees her leave him in the train's bathroom. Victoria watches as the young woman and a man argue on the platform. Before she knows it, Victoria has the toddler in her possession and is barreling past her stop. She begins with the best of intentions to protect the child from an abusive situation, but, without much thought, she takes the boy, whom she calls Wills, on a train ride to Georgia. Victoria finds a large stash of money, hastily stuffed in her backpack by the boy's mother, and begins to receive threatening calls on her cell phone from the man on the platform and worried calls from her father and various police agencies. Victoria must find a way for Wills to be safe and believes that staying on the lam is the best solution. DeKeyser accurately describes the thought process that Victoria goes through as she comes to the realization of what she's done. While at the heart of her choices is her anger over her parents' divorce, the author does not oversimplify the situation. Teens are sure to find this an interesting read.-Sarah Krygier, Solano County Library, Fairfield, CA