Prey
by Lurlene McDaniel

    PREY by Lurlene McDaniel
    Category:  Contemporary
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 9+
    Release Date:  2/12/08
    Publisher:  Delacorte
    Reviewed by:  Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"
    Rating:  5 Stars


    Bestselling author Lurlene McDaniel has taken a turn from her normally heartbreaking inspirational novels to write
    something completely different with PREY.  This time around, she tackles a once taboo subject head-on -- that of
    the skewed relationship between a female teacher and her young male student.

    Ryan Piccoli is a typical teen.  He's fifteen, a freshman in high school, has a close knit group of friends that include
    Joel and Honey, and a fairly average student.  Although his mother died when he was still a toddler, he has a father
    that, although gone most of the time as part of his job, still tries to connect with him as much as he can.  Things are
    going pretty well; he's hoping for a car for Christmas for his sixteenth birthday, he's both excited and anxious to be
    starting high school, he's wondering if he'll get a girlfriend.  And then the unthinkable happens:  he meets Miss Lori
    Settles, the knew World History teacher.

    Miss Settles is an immediate hit at McAllister High School, at least with the male population (you'd probably get a
    different response from the females).  She's young, she's gorgeous, she seems to understand teenagers, and she has
    the most important attribute that any normal male can ask for -- she's got a body to die for, and she dresses for
    school each day in a way that will show it to its best advantage.  Suddenly, every guy in the building, from students
    to faculty, wants to find a way to spend time with Miss Settles.

    Only Ryan gets to spend time with her in a way that no one else would ever expect.  What starts off innocently
    enough as a request to help his teacher move furniture soon evolves into trips to a coffee shop late at night.  And
    when those trips then turn into visits at her apartment, Ryan figures it's only right, since they obviously are in love
    with each other.  What follows is a sexual affair that, although high in intensity, might end up burning them both in
    the end.

    Ms. McDaniel has written a real page-turner with PREY.  Once you start reading, you'll not want to stop until the
    last word is read.  This is a book that has no clear-cut answers and, actually, has no clear sense of who has done
    right and who has done wrong.  Pick up a copy -- you'll be glad you did.