Fall from Grace

by Charles Benoit

Overview

"I need you to steal something for me."

Grace always has a plan. There's her plan to get famous, her plan to get rich, and—above all—her plan to have fun.

Sawyer has plenty of plans, too. Plans made for him by his mother, his father, his girlfriend. Maybe they aren't his plans, but they are plans.

When Sawyer meets Grace, he wonders if he should come up with a few plans himself. Plans about what he actually wants to be, plans to speak his own mind for a change, plans to maybe help Grace with a little art theft.

Wait a minute—plans to what?

From Charles Benoit, acclaimed author of you, comes a witty and unsettling tale of two high school seniors planning the job of a lifetime.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062114365
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/08/2012
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
File size:	611 KB
Age Range:	13 Years

About the Author

Charles Benoit is a former high school teacher and the Edgar Award-nominated author of three adult mystery novels and the teen novel Fall From Grace. He lives in Rochester, New York.

What People are Saying About This

Michael Grant

“A shattering, gut-wrenching novel. Pick it up and you won’t put it down!”

Editorial Reviews

Benoit’s fast pacing, spot-on dialogue, and plot twists keep readers guessing about Grace ...rooting for Sawyer, and pondering questions about freedom, choice, and integrity in human connections. — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

A satisfying piece of teen noir. — ALA Booklist

The story is clever and original...[it] should find a rapt audience. — School Library Journal

“A shattering, gut-wrenching novel. Pick it up and you won’t put it down!” — Michael Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Gone

From the Publisher

A satisfying piece of teen noir.

ALA Booklist

A shattering, gut-wrenching novel. Pick it up and you won’t put it down!

Michael Grant

Lies, lust and betrayal just don't add up fast enough. On the outside, high schooler Sawyer seems to be gliding through life. He's focused; he's got good grades, a hot girlfriend and plans for college. On the inside, however, he feels trapped by his parents' expectations and the tight leash his girlfriend keeps around his neck. Enter Grace Sherman, a smooth-talking, resourceful, quick-witted girl from another high school whose presence infuses him with excitement and a sense of danger. She's cool but weird enough to be sexy. What's more, she's hell-bent on stealing a painting from the local library, and she needs Sawyer's help. Benoit's second teen effort is just as tightly crafted as his first (You, 2010). Characterizations are solidly constructed, and the plot moves methodically as Sawyer is pulled deeper into Grace's plan. Despite Benoit's ability to pull all of these elements together, the novel is missing a hook, which is what made his first so effortlessly terrifying. Art theft as a concept may not pique the interests of teen readers, especially those looking for a body count. The tension also builds slowly--more than half of the novel is given over to building up Sawyer's relationship with Grace. It's definitely an intriguing pairing, but less-patient readers will be flipping pages to get to the action. A slow-build, film-noir high-school drama. (Fiction. 14 & up)

Kirkus Reviews