Product Description

She's savvy, she's sleuth-y, she's Natalie Fuentes.

Trouble sticks to 16-year-old Natalie Fuentes like glue to paper. As the new kid at Western High, there's nothing she'd like better than to avoid making waves and instead focus on My Very Secret Life, her self-published zine. But when the school's reclusive caretaker is brutally attacked, Natalie is the only person who seems willing to investigate.

Armed with the clues found in her zine's clippings, pictures and notes, and with the help of the caretaker's socially awkward son, Natalie searches for answers. Soon the two are stirring up secrets that others including the school's most infamous "cool girl" clique -- want kept under wraps. When the trail leads to the police-shy leader of a local graffiti gang, Natalie must use all her streetwise wiles to crack the case.

Illustrated with snippets from Natalie's zine, and with a fast-paced plot that will keep readers guessing, Strange Times at Western High is as spirited as the savvy sleuth herself.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2002565 in Books
• Published on: 2006-07-19
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .75" h x 5.00" w x 7.40" l, .53 pounds
• Binding: Hardcover
• 219 pages

From Booklist
Natalie is used to new schools, but her new one in Toronto is something else. On her first day, she interrupts an assault on the school's caretaker, which leads her to a complicated plot against the school and one of its students. This book is something of an odd bird. The mystery element is interesting enough, but it's sometimes stretched past the point where readers will care. Moreover, teens may have trouble relating to 16-year-old Natalie and her friends, who are always off on their bicycles. The interplay between Natalie and her new classmates moves this along, however, and the paperback-size format is also a plus--though the print is tiny, and the graphics that run along the bottom border add little. A choice for larger libraries wanting to expand their mystery collections. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
The interplay between Natalie and her new classmates moves this along. (Ilene Cooper Booklist 2007)

A choice for larger libraries wanting to expand their mystery collections. (Ilene Cooper Booklist )

A fast-paced, visually stylish new mystery series, full of unexpected turns. (Our Choice 2007, Canadian Children's Book Centre )

About the Author

Emily Pohl-Weary is the author of four previous books. She is also the editor of the acclaimed independent magazine, Kiss Machine. This is her first novel for young readers. She lives in Toronto.