SHOCK POINT

Almost 16, Cassie hates her new psychiatrist stepfather, Rick, in this over-the-top thriller. Cassie discovers that relentlessly evil Rick has fraudulently given an unproven drug to three teens who subsequently committed suicide. Before she knows it, Rick has her kidnapped and shipped to a school for delinquent kids in Mexico. Cassie’s loving but clueless and very pregnant mother agrees with the decision, going along with anything her new husband says. Cassie immediately learns that the school is more like a prison, where the students are beaten and starved. Can Cassie escape, expose Rick’s crimes and put an end to the school? Henry writes with a quick-moving, superficial style and often glosses over awkward plot points with quick explanatory paragraphs. He delivers some shocking moments while making no attempt to examine realistic adolescent problems. A potboiler that may appeal to a wide range of young readers and could be useful for reluctant readers. (Fiction. 12-16)