The Taker

Am I about to take the SATs? No. Am I a parent of someone about to take the SATs? No. Did I still love this book? Duh. Sadly, the SATs are far behind me, but I still remember quite well the feeling of misery when I looked over my first round of scores (like Carly, I took the SATs twice). And while the story line is relatable, thats not what I loved most about this book. I loved Carly. She is fun, and she is sassy. The conflict in her life allows her to be a great lead character, but she has the loveable spunk of any good sidekick. This makes her an ideal person to get to know and follow through her senior year. With her loveable wit, it's hard not to start rooting for her on page 1. No, actually, I started rooting for her at the bottom of page 5 -- but close enough... Everyone else has already commented about how this is a great tale for anyone who is about to take the SAT. I think this is a great tale for anyone. Period. The book has a wonderful sense of humor and I often found myself laughing out loud -- a few times in public. While embarassing to laugh on a New York City subway car, I enjoyed every minute of this book, and every minute I spent with Carly Biels. I promise that you will too. Whoever this J.M. Steele character is, I sure do like their style.

Carly Biel's story is one that struggles between right and wrong. Carly is a good student and a likable character in this novel, but she has one flaw--test-taking. After bombing the SATs the first time around, Carly has one more chance to do better. Only one more chance to fulfill her (and her father's) dream of attending Princeton, where her boyfriend will be. Study really, really hard...right? But this route is becoming increasingly frustrating for Carly and not even tutoring from Ronald Gross (school genius) can help her get her score as high as she needs it to be. There is another option, however--one that is only supposed to be a rumor--and Carly goes for it: making a deal with "The Taker" for her SATs to be aced in exchange for "something". Who the "The Taker" is and what "something" he wants, Carly has no clue--but she's already in head-over-heels. THE TAKER is a hugely relatable novel. Because of pressure for good grades, many teens have at one time or another thought about cheating, or have cheated on a test or assignment. This is an intricate novel that explores that decision and its consequences. For Carly, there is no turning back. Read the book to find out what happens! Reviewed by: Safia Abdul

This is one of the few young adult books that I am happy to recommend to any teen or parent. The author does a great job of making the characters easy to relate to and manages to weave in messages about doing the right thing in life and following your heart. For kids growing up today, it's tough making decisions and this book taps into the feelings of uncertainty and "people pleasing" that every teen experiences. Parents will love this book because of the positive messages it manages to convey sometimes with humor, often with poignancy. I read it cover to cover in one day-couldn't put it down. When you read it, see if you can keep a straight face after you begin reading page five!

Carly's world is turned upside down when she considers cheating on the SATs. But really, wouldn't life just be over if she doesn't get into Princeton? This book was a quick read, an engaging mystery, and I have to say, a painfully true window into high school life. When Carly gets bad scores on her first round of SATs, she has to juggle the social pressures of being a senior, while spending her life cooped up with the most nerdy kid in her class. So of course she looks for a way out! There were several times I laughed out loud reading it, and was very sad when it all came to an end. I recommend it especially to any high school students who need a break from studying for the SATs!!

Anyone who's ever done worse than expected on a test will be able to identify with Carly, a star student who bombs on the SAT. What happens next is what makes this such a great book. Carly gets a mysterious IM from someone calling himself (herself?) "The Taker," who offers Carly a guaranteed way to get the kind of SAT score she needs to get into an Ivy League college. From that point on, Carly has to figure out what kind of person she really is, who her real friends are, and what matters most in life. Although it's built around the pressure of the SAT, what's so smart about this book is that it understands ALL the pressures in teenagers' lives, the temptations they face, and the choices they have to make. The characters aren't perfect, and that's what makes them so believable and so easy to relate to. Five stars!