Such a Pretty Girl
by Laura Wiess

    SUCH A PRETTY GIRL by Laura Wiess
    Category:  Contemporary
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 9+
    Release Date:  12/06
    Publisher:  MTV Books
    Reviewed by:  Jocelyn Pearce
    Rating:  5 Stars


    In SUCH A PRETTY GIRL, Laura Wiess grabbed and held my attention from the first page to the last. New Jersey
    teenager Meredith was supposed to have nine years of safety from her father, so she'd be eighteen and out of the
    house when he was released from prison.  But three years later, when Meredith is fifteen, her father gets out for good
    behavior. No matter what he did to Meredith and to other children before her, Meredith's mother is more than ready
    to take him back.

    Meredith isn't alone, though. She has her grandmother, the mayor of the town, who wants Meredith to move in with
    her to escape her father. She has Andy, her best friend, the guy she is in love with, who was also scarred by
    Meredith's father as a child. She has Andy's mother, who moved across the street from Meredith's family just to keep
    other children from the horror from which she couldn't protect Andy. She has Nigel, a retired policemen who has a
    plan to get Meredith's father back in jail and away from children. Even though Meredith is far from alone, she still
    feels that way when she can't even count on the people every kid is supposed to be able to count on: her parents.

    Meredith wants to get her father back in prison. She wants her mother to go back to visiting him instead of having him
    in their house. She wants to be able to go into her own home without fear. She wants other kids to be safe, too. She
    doesn't know what that's going to take, and she's certainly not unafraid, but she isn't going to let him hurt her, or any
    other kids, again.

    This moving, powerful novel is one that should not be missed. Once you start reading it, you won't be able to put this
    book down. I wasn't! It's an emotional book that is beautifully, powerfully written and unique, and it'll stay with you
    long past the last word.

    Laura Wiess's characters are as well-written as the rest of the book, very realistic (in some cases, scarily so). They're
    three-dimensional characters in an equally (and, again, scarily) believable story that will certainly be a favorite of
    anyone who reads it. I know it's one of mine now! Don't miss this book.