The Prey »

Lurlene McDaniel is the #1 author of inspirational fiction for young adults. She lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

A teacher is supposed to impart a love of learning and a thirst for knowledge. It’s a bit different with Ms. Lori Settles. All the kids are talking about how hot she is–and she is especially interested in Ryan Piccoli. When she starts giving Ryan extra attention, he’s feeling more than happy–at first. He’s used to being the class clown, but really he’s a loner. One day after school, the friendship with Lori Settles goes farther than he ever expected. She’s his teacher. She’s at least twice his age. Intimacy with a teacher is wrong, yet it feels so good in every way. Soon, Lori is making demands and Ryan begins to feel overwhelmed, but Ryan refuses to even admit anything is going on. Something immoral is going on and before too long the choices made will change lives forever.

Publishers Weekly

McDaniel (Don't Die, My Love) forsakes her typical weeper for a cautionary tale about a high school freshman seduced by his history teacher. On the first day of class, Ryan "locks eyes" with the stiletto-wearing, cleavage-baring Ms. Settles ("I feel heat") and watches her bend over a desk drawer ("The sweaterdress hugs her backside, and I want to do the same"). Describing the same encounter, the teacher says, "I stare at him and the room seems to recede. A halo of light encircles him and suddenly, I know... he'll be the One." The two become sexually involved and mutually obsessed, arousing the suspicions (and jealousy) of Ryan's longtime friend Honey, who wishes she were his girlfriend. McDaniel furnishes the souped-up drama her fans crave, and even the denouement has its soapy excess (Ryan, about to be reunited with the now-vilified and convicted Ms. Settles, asks, "Which of us is the predator and which the prey?"). Readers interested in a more sophisticated, psychologically astute treatment of the same subject should see last fall's Boy Toyby Barry Lyga (Reviews, Sept. 3, 2007). Ages 12-up. (Feb.)

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