The Chain

Four vignettes, loosely linked by a used book that plays a role in each story, form the “chain” referred to in the title of Gray’s work, written at a fourth-grade reading level and first published in the U.K. In three of the four sections, teenage boys behaving badly—accepting a dare to earn admittance to a gang, cheating at a card game, and dating two girls at once—lead to hand-wringing and guilt (though no real consequences for the perpetrators). A final episode about a girl and her dying father feels tacked on. Overall, this book sounds a false note, with stiff prose and unsatisfying conclusions. Ages 11–up. (Apr.)