Blink & Caution
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Walker Books Ltd
Published:5th Jan '12
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Two street kids get tangled in a plot over their heads – and risk an unexpected connection – in this heart-pounding thriller by Tim Wynne-Jones. Boy, did Blink get off on the wrong floor. All he wanted was to steal some breakfast for his empty belly, but instead he stumbled upon a fake kidnapping and a mobile phone dropped by an “abducted” CEO, giving Blink a link to his perfect blonde daughter. Now Blink is on the run, but it’ll be OK as long as he’s smart enough to stay in the game and keep Captain Panic locked in his hold. Enter a girl named Caution. As in Caution: Watch Your Step. She’s also on the run, from a drug-dealer boyfriend and from a nightmare in her past that won’t let her go. When she spies Blink at the bus station, Caution can see he’s an easy mark. But there’s something about this naïve, skinny street punk, whom she only wanted to rob, that tugs at her heart, a heart she thought deserved not to feel. Charged with suspense and intrigue, this taut novel trails two deeply compelling characters as they forge a blackmail scheme that is foolhardy at best, disastrous at worst – along with a fated, tender partnership that will offer them each a rare chance for redemption.
Featured/recommended, Spring 11 Preview * Publishers Weekly *
This is gritty, sure, but more than that, its smart, and earns every drop of its hopeful finish. * Booklist *
A dazzling crime novel that evokes the taut writing and tropes of hard-boiled fiction while interweaving social justice themes and a solid sense of realism * Publishers Weekly (starred review) *
Wynne-Jones’ finest, most beautifully written novel yet, one more in a career full of distinguished works * Kirkus Reviews (starred review) *
The story is told in alternating viewpoints, with Blink’s segments in second-person present tense, which adds a heightened sense of immediacy and urgency…Those who enjoy thought-provoking thrillers will not want to miss this novel * School Library Journal (starred review) *
Featured/Recommended Winter Institute: Big Books for Kids * PW Children's Bookshelf *
The crime-drama element of the novel, involving a dispute over corporate uranium mining on Indian-owned land, has enough suspense and action to keep readers interested while they forge a connection with the main characters, whose relationship deepens as they help each other survive immediate dangers as well as the aftereffects of past trauma. * Horn Book *
Master suspense-spinner Wynne-Jones uses an alternating third person perspective, with dashes of a second person perspective, to draw the reader deeply into the story and care about the fate of these two soul-weary runaways * Library Media Connection *
Over the course of the novel these two damaged children move from darkness toward light and healing, and by the end we are awfully glad of it * Wall Street Journal *
Featured with author interview and review * Reading Corner (Bookpage e-newsletter) *
Featured/Recommended * 60SecondRecap.com *
Suspense combines with a genuinely moving character drama to ensure broad reader appeal * Bulletin of the Center of Children's Books *
Featured/Recommended * Lisa is Busy Nerding Blog *
A fast paced mystery with intelligence and heart…snags readers and doesn’t let go. * Bookpage *
All the elements of a classic noir: a quick thinking leading lady; an unlikely. but decent. hero; a femme fatale with dubious motives; goons with nicknames like “Tank,” “Merlin,” and “Snake”; and, of course, action and suspense. * Plain Dealer *
Blink and Caution are… each given fascinating back stories and bouncing engagingly off one another as their shared status s damaged adolescent mutates into something deeper * The Irish Times *
ISBN: 9781406337419
Dimensions: 198mm x 129mm x 25mm
Weight: 290g
352 pages