I love Joan Bauer’s books. All spring I waited with high expectations for Peeled. Maybe I expected too much, but I am disappointed. The book’s main character, Hildy, is a reporter for her high school newspaper. There are evil-doers afoot in her small town, and she and her friends (with the help of a curmudgeonly adult advisor) uncover their shenanigans. If you’ve read Landry News by Andrew Clements, or more recently, the Adam Canfield of the Slash books by Michael Winerip you won’t find anything new here. If you really like the “high school journalist” genre and are looking for a new book, I prefer Defying the Diva, by D. Anne Love, over Peeled. If you haven’t read Joan Bauer, start with Hope Was Here and Best Foot Forward. I thought they were great; Peeled is just okay.
MAM Rating: Okay
