Peeled

Elizabeth Ward

What is surprising is the deftness with which Bauer wraps her moral—the higher mission of newspapers—inside a souffle-light and thoroughly entertaining murder mystery…Kids who've enjoyed Carl Hiaasen's opinionated satirical romps, Hoot and Flush, should love Peeled.
—The Washington Post

Publishers Weekly

Bauer's (Hope Was Here) fans will appreciate this diverting novel's shout-out to the author's debut, Squashed, from which she also harvests a few themes. In an upstate New York hamlet known for its apples, aspiring teen journalist Hildy Biddle treasures her staff position on the high school paper, aptly named The Core. She does whatever it takes to find the facts for a story, hoping she is honoring the memory of her late father, a respected local reporter. But when the opportunistic publisher of the town paper whips the citizens into a frenzy with sensational stories of ghosts and eerie happenings, Hildy and her friends are determined to expose the truth—which involves a disreputable development company. With sharp pacing and an intriguing premise, Bauer renders a fully realized portrait of a small town dependent on an ever-fragile agricultural economy and threatened by modern encroachment. As always, she stocks her work with strong, sage women, the elements for a budding romance and plenty of funny moments. But it's Hildy readers will remember longest, a smart girl who realistically blends the spunkiness, brains and good humor that is Bauer's stock-in-trade. Ages 12—up. (May)

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Horn Book

[Hildy's] crisp, declarative narration, subtly emulating a journalistic style, sings with tart humor and quixotic purpose.

Children's Literature - Mary Quattlebaum

Ghosts and an economic downturn haunt the apple-growing town of Banesville, New York. Residents respond to the local paper's sinister headlines by selling their farms to a developer. But is this news accurate? Hildy Biddle, a reporter for the high school newspaper, The Peel, decides to investigate. When she prints a rebuttal to the local paper's so-called facts, town officials shut down The Peel. But Hildy and her teenaged buddies find a way to get the truth out. Readers will embrace this can-do tale of First Amendment rights and cheer Hildy as she takes on the big guys—and orchestrates their fall. Reviewer: Mary Quattlebaum

Pam B. Cole

Hildy Biddle, an aspiring journalist, lives in apple orchard country in upstate New York and writes for her school paper fittingly named The Core. When a dead body is found at the old Ludlow House, abandoned property thought to be haunted, apprehension in the sleepy town of Banesville builds. Uneasiness turns to hysteria when Pen Piedmont, editor of the local paper, sensationalizes the death and other mysterious occurrences around the property in an effort to sell more papers and draw more attention to the town's unrest. Determined to challenge Piedmont's scaremongering and unethical tactics, Hildy sets out to uncover the mystery surrounding the dead body and other strange occurrences. Hildy, aided by her friends and former professional journalist, Baker Polton, uncovers a shady plot to destroy the orchards and turn the town into a tourist trap. Hildy is courageous and relentless. She unpeels the truth about shady political doings and human greed in her small town and, in doing so, finds the core of her own moral fiber. Reviewer: Pam B. Cole

KLIATT - Claire Rosser

A small town in upstate New York is the setting for this story about journalism—yes, journalism. Hildy is the daughter of a reporter (who died too young) and she herself is a reporter on her high school newspaper. She takes it seriously, trying to always write a better story. Their town, known for its apple orchards (check out the book's title), is overtaken by a haunted house saga, a dead man found on the grounds of the house, a hyped-up story in the local town paper, and a steady line of tourists drawn to the place to gawk at the so-called haunted house. Hildy's reporting gets too close to special interests, and the school paper is shut down. The students, inspired by a local cafe owner who knows about underground action from her years in Poland under Communism, start an underground newspaper dedicated to getting to the truth about a land deal threatening the very essence of their town. The smart, dedicated teenager characters will entertain YA readers, especially those interested in uncovering the real truth. Reviewer: Claire Rosser

VOYA

AGERANGE: Ages 12 to 18.

As a high school journalist living in upstate New York apple country, Hildy Biddle finds herself needing to get to the core of a problem plaguing her town. The town newspaper has been revived by Pen Piedmont, whose stories spread apprehension centered around the local "haunted" house. Ominous notes are posted on the house, and a psychic moves into town to further stir anxieties. Hildy and her staff find support from a washed up newsman, Baker Polton, but a dead body, a frightened child, and worried orchard owners edge the town toward unhealthy panic. Summoning courage from the memories of her journalist father; a new student, Zach, who is determined to see things scientifically; and restaurant owner Minska who grew up during the solidarity movement in Poland, Hildy determinedly digs for the truth to save her town from being swallowed by greedy developers. Bauer again presents readers with a strong protagonist who wrestles hope from a situation fraught with tribulations. Hildy is surrounded by a finely drawn cast of major and minor characters, from the feisty Elders Against Evil squad to the wise Minska and cynical wordsmith Polton. Bauer uses apple farming as an apt metaphor for the world, where one must deal with what cannot be changed but work tirelessly to make the best of it. In a time when journalism too often flaunts sensationalism, Hildy and crew demonstrate ethics and determination in a story that is wonderfully teachable, highly readable, and ready to delight Bauer fans, old and new. Reviewer: Mary Ann Darby
April 2008 (Vol. 31, No. 1)

School Library Journal

Gr 6-9- Hildy Biddle, high school reporter for The Core , has her hands full following the story of a ghost haunting the old Ludlow place. Life in her sleepy apple-valley town is upset like the proverbial apple cart when a dead body turns up in the Ludlow orchard and enigmatic warnings are scrawled on the door-"YOU DIDN'T THINK IT WAS SAFE, DID YOU?" Rumors fly and fear mounts as Pen Piedmont, editor of the town newspaper, The Bee , prints ever more sensational stories about the eerie goings-on. Hildy, her fellow intrepid high school reporters, and their seasoned newshound adviser are determined to uncover the truth. When they ask the right questions of the wrong people, the principal caves in to threats of litigation from Piedmont and shuts The Core down. Unlikely help comes from café owner and Polish immigrant Minska, whose experience with an underground press inspires them to start an independent news sheet, The Peel , and reveal the true villain. Peeled is vintage Bauer, a warm and funny story full of likable, offbeat characters led by a strongly voiced, independently minded female protagonist on her way to genuine, well-earned maturity. Bauer seasons Hildy's story with the high school homecoming dance, a budding romance, strong friend and family ties, and a host of quirky characters, then serves it up in quick-paced prose juicy with apple metaphors. A-peeling all around!-Joyce Adams Burner, Hillcrest Library, Prairie Village, KS

Kirkus Reviews

A spunky teen with a passion for newspaper reporting goes undercover to follow leads in rural Banesville, N.Y. Reporter-at-large for her high-school newspaper, Hildy Biddle relentlessly seeks "the truth." Since her father's death three years ago, Hildy has tried hard to follow in his footsteps as a reporter while helping at her family's apple orchard. Her skills as a fledgling reporter are put to the test when she's assigned "a big, emerging story" involving mysterious goings-on at the abandoned Ludlow house, which locals suspect is haunted. When strange threatening signs, weird-looking people, a renowned psychic named Madame Zobek and a stranger's dead body all appear at the Ludlow house, the town overreacts, fueled by fear-mongering stories in the local newspaper. As Hildy and her classmates scoop out the real story, they uncover a shady plot that could turn unsuspecting, apple-growing Banesville into a disgusting tourist trap. In Hildy, Bauer introduces a feisty, funny teenage heroine who stays true to her mission and herself while learning the realities of reporting and the importance of sticking to the facts. Highly entertaining. (Fiction. 12-16)