A Review of Waiting to Score

Waiting to Score
by J.E. MacLeod
Young Adult Fiction

This book is intense. It's about Zachary Chase, a fifteen-year-old hockey player who moves back to his hometown for his junior year of high school. Mac, the hockey captain and all-around king of the school, is threatened by Zack's talent on the ice and they form an instant rivalry. This is complicated by the fact that Zack catches Mac harassing goth-girl Jane, whom Zack has a crush on. J.E. MacLeod has painted a vivid portrait of small-town Montana and the lives of the high schoolers there. Zack is faced with the age-old task of dethroning the popular kid while maintaining his own purity. Watch for this book in February.


Also, a note: Blindspot, by Jane Kamensky and Jill Lepore, is now in stores! I reviewed it a while ago, but here's a refresher:

Blindspot
By either: Jane Kamensky and Jill Lepore, or A Gentleman in Exile and A Lady in Disguise
Adult Historical Fiction

This book, which is simultaneously political, humorous, historical, romantic, and mysterious, is a masterpiece of teamwork. Kamensky and Lepore, both history professors, have brought alive pre-Revolutionary Boston in the most charming way imaginable. It is the tale of Stewart Jameson, exiled Scottish portraitist, and Fannie Easton, fallen-socialite-turned-apprentice. As Fannie Easton—or, as she comes to be known, Francis Weston—struggles to make sense of her new situation, Jameson finds himself caught up in the politics of colonial Boston. What begins as a comedy of errors, with Jameson experiencing torment over his feelings for the young male apprentice and Fannie confiding similar feelings to her only remaining friend, becomes something darker when a murder is committed in the very house where they are painting a portrait. Not quite a mystery, not quite a comedy, and not quite a romance, Blindspot will keep you guessing (and laughing) from beginning to end. Kamensky and Lepore have “pinned” the vernacular of the time, providing of wealth of wit and dirty jokes. Their research is unrivaled, and it is the small details that make the setting come alive. This is the most entertaining historical novel I’ve ever read.

Note: Dr. Kamensky's name is spelled properly in the original review. If this review was quoted elsewhere, I am not responsible for spelling mistakes! *cough cough indie NEXT list cough*