Rachel Wright

Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

YOU'VE GOT BLACKMAIL is one of those books that has so many things going on at the same time. It wasn't until I was over halfway through the story that I finally had an inkling of where it was going. Whether that is good or bad, I can't say. But it did keep me guessing up until the end!

Lauren "Lozzie" Cracknell has made a significant blunder. She sent a mean picture of Tonya Ravonia meant for her best bud Dex to everyone's email at school. In the show more picture, Loz superimposed Tonya's face on the back end of a horse. Needless to say, when it gets back to Tonya, Lozzie is worried about being beaten up. Tonya and her friends are the local bullies at school.

When Lozzie comes home from school one day, she finds her house has been broken into. But it seems the only thing that has gone missing is a locked box that Lozzie had under her bed. It's beyond her why anyone would steal that box. It contains her diary, yes, but the other items are just valuable to her: a cassette tape from her dad's musical days, a bracelet she stole from Lee's backpack, things like that.

As Lozzie's friends rally around her to protect her from being shoved into the toilet by Tonya and her posse, other crazy things start to happen.

Lozzie is afraid her mother may be dating her horrible teacher Mr. Hilary (!) Barnett. When Lozzie finds an invite to him among her mom's outgoing mail at the salon, Dex and Lozzie secretly open the message. What they find instead is a blackmail note. So now Lozzie doesn't have just Tonya to worry about. She's concerned her mom, or someone else at the salon, may be involved with something terribly illegal. It's up to Loz and Dex to figure it out.

As the plot thickens, the reader gets drawn into the intrigue and drama that surrounds Loz's life. Highly entertaining, the book moves quickly and leaves you chuckling at everything that occurs. show less

The book started with what people wear to identify, express, and draw attention to themselves. It then moved into the colors of different animals, such as birds and insects. Some of the pictures were of very colorful, exotic animals that I had not seen before. Camouflage, a very important aspect of many animal’s lives, was explained as something that animals use to keep themselves safe and also used for predators. Each page is about a different animal and a different aspect of camouflage. show more I think this is a concept book because it only looks at the color and camouflage of different animals. It ends with a list of facts and “things to do.” show less

Great facts mixed in with crafts, songs, activities, and a glossary. The crafts and activities go from simple to time consuming and complex.

EducatingParents.org rating: Approved