ISBN: 0-375-83105-3   Genre: Young Adult

The following review was contributed by:   Lily Azerad-Goldman: CLICK TO VIEW Lily Azerad-Goldman's Reviews

The Anonymous Yellow tabloid of Jemison High is the real insidious protagonist of ‘CRUSHED’, the third collaboration between husband and wife writing team of Laura and Tom McNeal. This husband and wife partnership has produced a limpidly written intrigue, believable characters and a thrilling plot.

Audrey Reed, CC Mudd and Lea Woolcott are best friends. They were transferred from a cozy private school to a humongous High School where they feel lost and lonely. CC’s brother Brian is their only friend on campus.  Audrey Reed, a poor little rich girl, is besotted with the new guy in class- handsome, smooth and money hungry Wickham Hill. He charms Audrey who has little guidance at home.

Her father is busy trying to save his business, her mother has died when Audrey was 4 and her Nanny has gone back to Germany to nurse a friend. Wickham Hill is the illegitimate son of a rich doctor, who is weaning him and his mom from his money, and Wickham has a big secret! Wickham incites Audrey to help him cheat in physics class, which makes her feel uncomfortable. When her father looses his business and they have to move to a poorer district, Wickham dumps her. Of course she is “crushed” and cannot help stalking him.

As a secondary plot, we follow an awfully shy teenager trying to get beautiful Audrey’s attention. His name is Clyde Mumsford or The Mummy as the other kids in the class call him. His mom is dying at home and he is “throwing” a beautiful vase for her at ceramic class. Consumed by his jealousy,  he snoops on the Internet and discovers Wickham’s secret, which he cannot wait to tell Audrey.

Meanwhile, the sleaze Yellow paper is spreading ignominies about their teachers and students. Audrey cannot help but think that Wickham would be the next victim. Audrey is sort of creeped out by Mumsford appearance and mannerism. The head bully of the school, Theo Briggs, is also vilified in the anonymous Yellow Paper. He tries to discover the author of this story and by bullying Audrey, he is given a name. However, she is still on his “to do” list.

Theo Brigg’s promise comes true when Audrey is walking alone in the parking lot of the school. Theo and his mean friends attack her. Is she going to be saved? Who will be her hero? Who is the real author of the sleaze Yellow Paper?

The beginning of the story is a bit slow while the authors introduce us to the bevy of characters. However, the pace picks up quite rapidly and then the plot thickens and ‘CRUSHED’ becomes a real page-turner. ‘CRUSHED’ reflects the hard life teenagers have to go through in High School and how they get over it.