Angelica Delgado (VOYA, August 2005 (Vol. 28, No. 3))
Raina and her friends Holly and Kathleen spent an incredible summer serving as volunteers, or Pink Angels, at Parker-Sloan General Hospital in Tampa, Florida, in Angels in Pink: Kathleen's Story (Delacorte, 2004). As juniors, they take advantage of an opportunity to receive high school credit while resuming their hospital community service. Raina's enthusiasm for the new school year falters with the unexpected return of her ex-boyfriend, Tony. Tony's surprise revelation to Raina's current boyfriend, Hunter, sends their relationship into a tailspin. To make matters worse, Raina's opportunity for bone marrow donation unearths skeletons in the family closet, teen vixen Stephanie continues her wicked ways with Kathleen's boyfriend Carson, and Holly's parents maintain their rigid restrictions on her social life. McDaniel is in top melodramatic form in this stand-alone sequel. Typical of this author's oeuvre, a female protagonist faces a life-altering situation with help from friends, family, and a handsome yet caring boyfriend. This latest effort is unique only in that there are three female protagonists' stories going on simultaneously, and it tackles the previously verboten topic of sex (with a strong abstinence slant). The plot strains credulity, the writing is unabashedly saccharine, and the dialogue is often stilted. Despite her writing flaws, McDaniel deserves praise for her ability to tie in multiple plot lines. Who else could coherently combine cancer, unwed mothers, dying infants, bone marrow tests, and thwarted teen romance in so few pages? Fans will devour this book in one sitting and then eagerly await the next. VOYA CODES: 3Q 4P M J S (Readable without serious defects; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2005, Delacorte, 208p., $10.95 and PLB $12.99. Ages 11 to 18.