In a school where teachers turn a blind eye to problems, it is difficult for one to make their voice heard.  Alex is a bright young pianist who is looking forward to her final project but any bright spot in her life is eradicated when a drinking game gone wrong at a party turns into date rape.  Alex knows that at her school, no teacher will listen to her and she does not want to get the police involved.  It seems that Alex will have to live with this crime with no consequences for her attacker when her friend tells her about a secret society at the school founded by Alex’s sister – The Mockingbirds.  This society acts as judge and jury for any problems that teachers refuse to acknowledge from bullying to spreading rumors, and now date rape.  Alex has a chance to enjoy life again, but is she willing to go through the trial and face her attacker again?

In this realistic novel, the author portrays a powerful way in which a small group of students can make a difference in the lives of those who are bullied.  The main character is written as an in-depth believable teenage girl who questions herself and her problems in ways that actual teens would act.  Surrounded by her friends, while they don’t always understand her, it helps to make her problems more authentic.  This gripping story will appeal to readers of all genres.  This page-turner comes with an unconventional romance based not on “love at first sight,” but on standing by someone when they are in need and on two people who make each other a better person.

— Sarah J.