Everything I know about witness protection programs I learned from television. But I鈥檓 pretty sure the real deal wouldn鈥檛 involve changing a 13-year-old foster child鈥檚 identity to enable her to help two parents and their son hide from a crime family. But that stretch of truth didn鈥檛 detract one bit from my enjoyment of Greetings from Witness Protection, Jake Burt's fast-paced and fun debut novel (ages 10-14).
Nicki Demere has been in and out of the foster system much of her life. Her dad鈥檚 in prison 鈥� or so she believes 鈥� and her adoring granny has died. Nicki is resourceful yet vulnerable (she's been given a diagnosis of anxiety disorder manifested in kleptomania, a topic handled adroitly by the author). Nicki's chances of being permanently placed with a loving family are close to nil. Enter a team of federal agents with a proposition. And in the short time it takes to train her to handle a taser, Nicki becomes Charlotte. A girl who鈥檚 never been inside an airport must start life anew, with an unhappy, snarky younger brother to boot. She feels like she鈥檚 carrying 鈥渢he entire Trevor family on my back,鈥� and she can鈥檛 even share her real name.
The story is at times hilarious, excitingly frightening, and told with great care. Yes, there鈥檚 a big action scene at the end, but the violence is minimal and the resolution, if not happily ever after, is very satisfying. Count me as a new fan of Jake Burt鈥檚 books. I hope there are many more to come.
