Name: Mismatch
ISBN: 9780399243851

Lensey Namioka

Their families clash when a Japanese-American teenaged boy starts dating a Chinese-American teenaged girl.

Mismatch

Lynn Braden

Cassie is shocked when she is kidnapped right in front of her house and her mother and stepfather seem to be the ones who set it up. The real shock is when she gets to Mexico and finds herself at Peaceful Cove, a school for petulant teenagers. Cassie is immediately subjected to the harsh treatment at Peaceful Cove including little water and food as well as beatings and something called OP where offenders must lie on their stomachs on hard cement for days, weeks, or months at a time. Cassie realizes that her stepfather, Rick, wants her out of the way because she stumbled on proof that the experimental drug he is using on teens in his psychiatry practice has led to the death of three teens.
 
Shock Point does have lots of suspense but doesn't handle major plot points in realistic ways, and most of the characters in the story are very one dimensional. Supposedly the teens who graduate leave the school and go out and live normal lives. I had trouble believing that none of them ever raised a red flag about the school. Also, for a doctor who is supposed to be the mastermind of this plot, Rick leaves clues everywhere making it hard to understand how he was never caught before. It isn't clear in the story how Peaceful Cove acquires the funds to stay in business, especially since many of the students remain their for many years - one of the many mysteries in this story that remains unsolved. This is a very quick YA novel and for a young adult, these discrepancies might not be important, but as an adult, this story seems almost like a first draft in which details will be added later. Not recommended.

Mismatch

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