Sanchez, Alex. Bait. Simon & Schuster. 2009. $16.99 (9-781416-937722). Gr 7-12.

How boring it would be if books were perfect; they’d leave nothing for the reader to discuss and debate. Fortunately Sanchez’ latest – about a teenage boy who has been sexually abused by his stepfather — is not perfect and, accordingly, it invites a lot of discussion, not all of it positive. There are still too few books about boys who are the victims of male sexual abuse so this book deserves consideration, especially since the protagonist’s probation officer turns out to be – well, read it for yourself.  – Michael Cart