Zipped

Strangely enough, this was the second book I had read recently that started off with a teen discovering that one of his parents (in this case, his step-mother) was having an affair. But other than that starting premise, Zipped is completely different.

Mick has always liked his step-mom, Nora. She's attractive, loving, funny&in fact, he may, deep down, like her a little too much, but he's careful to keep that to himself. He loves how she is with his father. When he discovers some racy e-mails from Nora to a certain Alexander Selkirk (anyone recognize that name? If you do, you're well-read) he's devastated and confused.

But, of course, that's not all that's going on in Mick's life. There's also his infatuation with Lisa Doyle, a pretty girl he's really never even talked to. And then there's the strange friendship that he strikes up with the beautiful Myra Vidal, a college freshman, someone normally way out of the league of a sophomore in high school. And what about the new job as a groundskeeper under the supervision of He who is Maurice?

That job also lets him finally get to know Lisa Doyle, a bright spot in Mick's life as his home life starts to take a nosedive. And since we also see some of the story through her viewpoint (as well as her best friend, a bit of Myra, and the not-so-lovely Maurice), we get the scoop on what's really going on in everyone's mixed-up heads.

I realize I'm leaving a LOT of stuff out, but I really don't want to ruin the story for you. It's a good one. It's interesting. It's different. It's not your run-of-the-mill tale and I don't want to give away anything that you should earn by reading it yourself.

I recommend this one for readers 12 and up, boys or girls. While there are romantic elements, a lot of that is from the boy's side and shouldn't be too "heavy" for male readers. And, of course, there's the slimy Maurice to keep everyone guessing until the end.