Zach's Lie

by Roland Smith

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Zach Granger has to tell many lies; for one, his name is really Jack Osborne, and for another his parents aren't divorced rather, his father, a pilot, is in prison for transporting drugs for a ruthless cartel. When his father agrees to cooperate with the DEA, his family goes into a witness protection program, with new names and a new home in Elko, Nev. Will they be safe from the cartel? Smith (Thunder Cave; Jaguar) paints a realistic picture of Zach's complicated emotions: he misses his father and his old life, he's nervous about making a mistake and he is uncomfortable lying, especially to his new girlfriend, Catalin. He also takes to his new surroundings, especially Catalin's grandfather's sheep camp in the mountains, and the friendly hotel that's home to Sam, the warm and wise custodian of Zach's school. Smith keeps the tensions high: readers will suspect right away that the detailed journals Zach keeps are going to lead to trouble, and will understand the hero's anxiety when lines from it begin to appear on his classroom's chalkboard. Drug lord Alonzo Aznar is a stereotypical bad guy (he has a ponytail, dresses all in black and "likes getting his hands dirty from time to time") and Sam's confession that he is a former KGB spy feels too convenient. But these are small caveats; readers are sure to be caught up in Zach's suspenseful adventure. Ages 10-14.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
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School Library Journal :
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Gr 5-9-In this contemporary suspense novel, Jack's father, a pilot, has been arrested for drug trafficking. When the cartel thugs come to their house to terrorize the teen, his mother, and his sister, they become candidates for the Witness Security Program and must change their identities. Although the family is told not to bring anything to Nevada that would link them to their former lives, Jack, now Zach, cannot leave his diary behind. With the villains searching for them, there can be no slipups, but the young protagonist soon learns that, in the small town of Elko, "Everyone knows Everything about Everybody." The diary and Zach's vulnerability are well-developed devices, but the plot soon becomes compromised by some unbelievable twists and turns. Zach is befriended by the school custodian, Sam, who acts as the principal's assistant, handling disciplinary cases with counseling and boxing therapy. Sam introduces Zach to the Basque people, sheep tenders in the hills outside town, who conveniently provide a hiding place for Zach when the bad guys arrive. In the biggest stretch of all, Sam outwits the thugs with talents he acquired as a KGB agent. Other details and characters merely set up the chain of events, which is unfortunate because individual chapters are often exciting, and there is a great potential to satisfy suspense fans.-Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NY
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
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Review
: Booklist :
From Booklist, May 15, 2001, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
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Gr. 5-8. When 13-year-old Jack Osborne's father is arrested for drug trafficking, Jack, his older sister Joanne, and their mother are forced to flee their comfortable home and take on new identities through the Witness Relocation Program. In tiny Elko, Nevada, the teens try to get comfortable as Zach and Wanda Granger. Wanda settles in easily, but Zach doesn't quite get the hang of being someone else and has problems with the constant lying he must do to maintain their story. Life improves for Zach as he gains a girlfriend in beautiful Catalin and a father substitute in the unusual, wonderfully paternal school custodian. But when the school bully steals Zach's diary, the deception begins to fall apart. Although the fast-moving plot is almost too straightforward, Zach's well-depicted emotional turmoil about his once-beloved father lends depth. Short sentences and a fast-moving plot will make this title appealing to reluctant readers.
¾: Debbie Carton.
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