cover image Entr@pment: A High School Comedy in Chat

Entr@pment: A High School Comedy in Chat

M. Spooner, . . S&S/McElderry, $16.99 (307pp) ISBN 978-1-4169-5889-5

Structured as a series of blogs, chat-room entries and instant messages, Spooner’s (Last Child ) romantic comedy of errors explores the consequences of testing loyalty. Recently dumped high school junior Annie bets her two friends that their boyfriends would cheat on them if given the chance (“let’s just test yr 2 handsome units. see how much u can really trust them”). To prove her wrong, Bliss and Tamra pose as seductive foreign-exchange students in a chat room and try to win the hearts of each other’s beaus. Some amusing online conversations follow as the girls become more and more intense about playing the game, taking on new personas and sometimes showing their truest colors behind the masks of their imagined figures, Tatiana from Albania and Bridget from Great Britain. Despite numerous “lol” moments, the book’s format (which closely resembles Lauren Myracle’s ttyl and its sequels) feels somewhat dated and busy, reading like a screenplay without the benefit of setting descriptions, stage directions and character sketches. While it should appeal to fans of Myracle’s series, it’s unlikely to attract a broader audience. Ages 13–up. (June)