Damage

By Robin Stevenson

It's an ordinary nightmare of a family trip until Theo realizes that the beautiful girl beside the hotel pool is his childhood babysitter—and his first crush. Theo hasn't seen Ronnie for five years, but when she invites him to go with her—and her toddler son, Zach—on a road trip, he leaps at the opportunity to ditch his parents and head to Hollywood. They've only gone a few miles before Theo begins to regret his impulsive decision. Zach cries nonstop, and when they get pulled over by the police, Ronnie is clearly terrified. She says her ex-boyfriend is a cop and that he is looking for her. Theo wants to trust her, but he suspects she is hiding something. And when they reach Los Angeles and she disappears, leaving him to look after Zach, he needs to find out the truth—and decide where his loyalties lie.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
• Release date: Apr 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781459803619

Robin Stevenson

Robin Stevenson is an award-winning author of books for kids and teens. Her writing has been translated into several languages and published in more than ten countries. She lives with her family on the west coast of Canada.

Reviews for Damage

[dairyqueen84 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Theo is on a road trip with his parents to visit his perfect older brother and his wife. Both his dad and brother are dentists and he believes they want him to be a dentist too. He is also having a hard time with his parents since his best friend was busted for selling pot. He doesn’t smoke pot but he’s having a hard time convincing his parents of this fact. He sees a beautiful girl at the motel pool who coincidentally turns out to be his former babysitter, Ronnie, his first crush. Theo impulsively agrees to go with her and her toddler son, Zach, to Hollywood. As they are traveling, Theo wonders what he got himself into when they are stopped by a cop and Ronnie tells him not to mention her or Zach’s name. Astute readers will figure out what Ronnie is running from but Theo takes a bit longer. This is meant for reluctant readers and the short length and reliance on dialogue may appeal to them but they may think the ending too pat and hokey.