Torched
by April Henry

    TORCHED by April Henry
    Category:  Mystery/Thriller
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 9+
    Release Date:  3/5/09
    Publisher:  Putnam
    Reviewed by:  Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"
    Rating:  5 Stars


    Ellie is the adopted daughter of a couple of old hippies.  They love telling stories about their past as young rebels and
    spend their time looking out for new causes and smoking pot.  It wasn't unusual, then, when members of MED, the
    Mother Earth Defenders, started hanging around in Ellie's living room.  There were some fairly lively discussions and
    one pretty cute guy named Coyote.

    When Ellie agreed to a couple of coffee shop dates with Coyote, little did she know she would soon be learning more
    about him and the MEDics' causes than she ever wanted to know.  The cops had evidently been keeping an eye on
    Ellie's house because known members of the group had been meeting there.  During a raid to arrest the group cops
    had labeled "ecoterrorists," Ellie's parents were arrested for drug trafficking.  

    Being arrested was not new to the couple, but in the past they had been younger and healthier.  Now the prospect of
    jail time was frightening, especially for Ellie's father and his weak heart.  In order to protect her parents, Ellie finds
    herself agreeing to help the FBI in their investigation of the MEDics.

    Now Ellie is closer than ever to the handsome Coyote, but she also can't believe she is buying dark-colored clothing
    from the Goodwill store and planning a solo initiation attack to convince the group that she is legit.  Once she is
    accepted as part of the group, things begin to escalate.  They may be protecting "mother earth," but they don't seem
    to be above taking human lives to further their cause.

    TORCHED by April Henry is an edge-of-your-seat thriller.  The book starts with a Prologue that puts readers in the
    thick of the action, and things don't slow down from there until the end.  

    As a reader, I became involved in the story on several levels.  I liked the fast-paced action, but I also found myself
    identifying with the MED cause.  Protecting our great planet is a worthy cause, and Ellie's experience did have me
    thinking about many of the wasteful things I do to contribute to the problem.  TORCHED should prove popular with
    many teen readers.