Down with the Shine

February 1, 2016
Eighteen-year-old Lennie Cash hasn't had it easy. The daughter of a notorious thief who abandoned her at Chuck E. Cheese after dragging her on a bloody crime spree when she was 6, Lennie lives with her reclusive mother and three benignly neglectful, moonshine-making uncles. (The family practically defines "white trash" to the outside world.) To make matters worse, her best friend, Dylan, was found butchered two weeks ago, and the cops think she might be responsible. Looking for a little release and armed with four bottles of her uncles' moonshine, Lennie decides to crash an exclusive high school party. Following a ritual she's witnessed her uncles perform a million times, Lennie offers her classmates a sip of moonshine and a wish to be granted--little does she know that every wish will come true. Sharp, funny, and amiable, Lennie's narration feels a lot like a modern-day Scout's, and readers are likely to go along for the ride just to spend time with her. Unfortunately, Lennie's spot-on voice doesn't make up for the fact that the story gets derailed by the silly chaos of the wish-making rather than spending its time thoroughly exploring the darker and more intriguing tale of Dylan's murder. Contemporary fiction with a touch of magic and a hint of horror, Quinn's latest defies traditional labels and offers readers a different sort of fictitious escape. (Fiction. 14-18)

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February 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-Lennie, daughter of the notorious Leonard Cash, aka The Bad Daddy Bandit, is a fierce character in her own right. When the most popular girl at school, Michaela, holds her annual Labor Day party, not only does Lennie show up uninvited but she brings four mason jars full of her uncles' infamous bathtub moonshine. And with the shine, she also brings the family tradition of making a wish on the first drink. What Lennie doesn't know is that she has inherited the family gift of granting wishes. As the evening wears on, the wishes become increasingly outlandish, resulting in terrifying chaos. Quinn, author of Another Little Piece (HarperCollins, 2013), has written another darkly intelligent novel for readers who prefer flawed heroines and ambiguous endings that aren't tied up in a pretty little "they all lived happily ever after" bow. Graphic descriptions of violence and savagery are not for the faint of heart but will be thoroughly enjoyed by those who like a dark and twisty tale. VERDICT A smartly written and engaging addition for YA collections.-Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2016
Grades 9-12 Lennie has never been one for taking chances, despite the fact that she is niece to a trio of moonshine-brewing brothersand daughter to one of the world's most notorious criminals. It's Lennie's best friend, Dylan, who was the risk-taker, and that's probably why she has been murdered. When a grieving Lennie crashes a popular-kids party in Dylan's honor, she brings stolen moonshine and serves it with her family's traditional blessing: May all your wishes come true, or at least just this one. But that phrase isn't just a toast, it's a promisea magical secret that Lennie's bootlegging, wish-granting uncles have kept most of their lives. But now Lennie has granted the wishes of half her high school, and undoing them is next to impossible. Worse, her disreputable dad might know a thing or two about this magic, and he is coming back to collect his due. This successfully blends thriller and fantasy elements for a high-stakes, careful-what-you-wish-for story. A unique, often clever take on family legacies and high school desires with wide appeal.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2016
Lennie brings her uncles' famous moonshine to a high school party, toasting every round with the traditional, "May all your wishes come true." The next morning, all the wishes have come true, with terrible effects. Though it doesn't always sustain plot direction or character motivation, this supernatural-tinged thriller makes hay of the "be careful what you wish for" adage.

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)