LIMOS, LATTES & MY LIFE ON THE FRINGE

This high-school drama with a strong evangelical subplot may appeal to Christian readers.

A brainy girl who’s always on the outside of high-school society because of her “I’m-better-than-you” attitude finds a cause that puts her into conflict with the popular kids who rule the school. The wealthy “ruling class” rules the prom with their expensive and exclusive glamour, while the “K-Mart” kids feel frozen out. Tyler, an appealing and strong character and one of the school’s few African-American students, sticks to her defiant streak when she’s nominated for prom queen as a joke. Still, she realizes that she isn’t the only student who feels left out of the prom and organizes a campaign to bring the prom to the whole school. However, when Patrick, the leader of the “ruling class” joins her cause, she’s dismayed to find herself attracted to him. Meanwhile, she meets Valleri, a new student committed to Christianity. Tyler finds a strange book with paranormal powers that responds directly to her own thoughts as it explains Biblical stories of “Yeshua.” The religious subplot appears to exist entirely to evangelize readers, but Rue works it into the book well enough that it doesn’t interfere with the main plot until the story veers off into melodrama in the final 30 pages.

Overall, an interesting and entertaining-enough school story.