HAPPENINGS

The stakes couldn't be lower or the motives more confusing in this muddled first novel. Kelsey and her fellow students in AP English class are disappointed that their teacher, Mrs. Delaney, has gone from leading lively discussions on important books to assigning routine worksheets. Instead of talking to her (Why not?—"It was a question Kelsey didn't want to answer"), they try passive resistance, refusing to do any work. Oddly, it takes only three days for all the students to be in danger of failing the course. What about college? Kelsey's guardian, her policeman brother, Russ, orders her to end the protest, and he confines her to the house, takes away the car and refuses to converse with her except via instant messages until she complies. Russ's emotional withdrawal upsets Kelsey, but in the end, Cobb seems to endorse his autocratic technique: "I simply noticed my withdrawal was making you squirm when nothing else worked," Russ says. Kelsey—who by now has solved the problem by addressing the obvious fact that Mrs. Delaney's personal life is in crisis—seems happy that his manipulations have taught her to curb her rebellious spirit. A budding romance goes nowhere and a mysterious envelope never gets opened, so even readers who stick this out to the end will find themselves frustrated. Ages 12-up. (Mar.)