Burning by Danielle Rollins

Bloomsbury, 2016. ISBN 9781408869956
(Age: Mature 14+) Just before Angela's scheduled release from juvie, THINGS start happening. First, a 10-year-old girl (Jessica) is brought in under high security. Then, a new program called Sci-Girls is causing a major stir among the inmates. There's something about Jessica, Sci-Girls, and the director of Sci-Girls (Dr. Gruen) that freaks Angela out. Weird things begin happening, and soon it becomes clear that there's evil in this prison that has nothing to do with the girls who are serving sentences.
I enjoyed reading this book. I enjoyed the characters, the writing style and the atmosphere. I couldn't put the book down. I was enjoying getting to know the characters' back stories and how they all interacted with each other. However, it then started along a different path that was like reading an entirely different book. Even though I persisted until the end it had just become so far-fetched I literally thought I was in another story. The ending finished rather abruptly and left many questions hanging in the air. There is a companion book being written which will be released in 2017 which I think if the two books were read together, the story line might come together nicely. Due to the couple of incidents of murder and a sex scene I would recommend this book for a mature 14-year-old and above. Teacher's notes are available.
Jody Holmes