Say yes / Audrey Couloumbis.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

When twelve-year-old Casey's sole guardian-her stepmother, Sylvia-doesn't come home one night, Casey believes she's run off with her boyfriend. The question is, will Sylvia come back? And even more urgent-how will Casey fend for herself in their New York City apartment? Paulie, the landlord's teenage foster son, offers to forge Sylvia's signature on the rent check, but his help comes at a price. And if Casey says yes to his proposition, she'll be breaking the law, taking her first step into a life of running to escape the police. And if she says no? Well, Casey's witnessed firsthand the perils of being a foster kid at the mercy of a system that has already failed Paulie. Audrey Couloumbis's unforgettable story will transport readers to the dangerous world of a preteen on her own, bravely making choices for the first time in her life. For any kid who's dreamed about his or her own independence, Say Yes will be an eye-opening, heart-stopping glimpse of that reality.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Couloumbis gets the suspense going at a high pitch from the start of this gripping novel, quite a dramatic departure in theme from her Newbery Honor book, Getting Near to Baby. In the first chapter, narrator Casey describes her morning exchange with her stepmother, Sylvia; by the second chapter, Sylvia is gone. The woman's sudden disappearance will be as unsettling and incomprehensible to readers as it is to the 12-year-old protagonist, who is now completely alone (her father has died). As this intriguing story progresses, the mystery of why Sylvia abandoned Casey becomes less relevant than the girl's struggle to fend for herself in her New York City apartment. Sixteen-year-old Paulie, the streetwise foster son of the building's super, is the only one who has figured out that Casey is living alone. He hatches a plan to help her get money for food and rent, but requires her to take part in a robbery. Besides battling with her conscience, Casey must make hard choices about whom she can trust and whom she should protect. She remains loyal to Sylvia, although it seems unlikely she will return. At the same time, Casey becomes increasingly reliant on Paulie. Rather than drawing clear lines between villains and heroes in this modern-day survival tale, Couloumbis invents realistically complex characters, whose morals are tested by fear and desperation, and a world in which right ultimately defeats wrong. Ages 10-up. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

School Library Journal Review

Gr 5-7 A suspenseful novel about a 12-year-old who must quickly learn self-reliance under very stressful circumstances. After her father died, Casey was legally adopted by her needy stepmother, Sylvia. As the book opens, she realizes that Sylvia has abandoned her in their New York City apartment, leaving no note and only $55. Uncertain whether the woman will return, Casey must deal with daily routines like homework and meals. Initially planning on keeping her current circumstances secret, she tells her sinister landlord's teenage foster son. Paulie takes Casey under his wing, involving her in a burglary. The two kids face a number of close calls, culminating in an incident in which Paulie is beaten up by his foster parent. Two weeks after Sylvia's disappearance, her mother, Fran, arrives to help both Casey and Paulie. Shortly thereafter the repentant Sylvia returns and the two women resolve the situation. Couloumbis builds almost unbearable tension as Casey attempts to make sense of her life. The interesting plot will keep readers' attention, and Casey, Paulie, and Fran are appealing, realistic characters. Both young people illustrate the lengths to which desperation can drive a person, even knowing that these actions are morally wrong. With Casey, readers learn that "There's a time to say yes and a time to say no." Pair this title with Donna Jo Napoli's Three Days (Dutton, 2001) for some nail-biting reading experiences. -B. Allison Gray, South Country Library, Bellport, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Horn Book Review

(Intermediate, Middle School) Twelve-year-old Casey is left to fend for herself when her stepmother Sylvia runs off with a no-good boyfriend. Casey knows Sylvia loves her-they've forged a bond, though the last couple of years since Casey's dad died have been tough-and has reason to believe her stepmom will eventually return. In the meantime, however, Casey is scared, lonely, and desperate for money, so she lets teenage neighbor Paulie talk her into helping him rob an elderly woman. Short chapters suit the apprehensive mood of Casey's first-person, present-tense narrative, and Couloumbis grabs readers' attention by quickly sketching in character and situation. Throughout the novel, skillfully crafted dialogue adds depth and humor to both story and characters. Paulie, whose unhappy childhood has included a string of abusive foster parents, tells Casey that what he likes about old movies are the happy endings: ""They're more believable in old movies."" Say Yes has its share of happy endings, for everyone involved. Believable or not, the hopeful conclusion will please readers who have come to know and like the young protagonists through Couloumbis's gripping, tension-filled story. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

Kirkus Book Review

A New York City preteen's world turns suddenly scary when her stepmother goes missing. Will Sylvia turn up, or is she gone forever with her latest boyfriend? Casey isn't sure at first, but as days go by, her desperation grows, leaving her vulnerable to the overtures of the building super's teenage foster son, Paulie. Paulie dispenses savvy advice and lends a genuinely sympathetic ear, but also turns out to have an ulterior motive-he's looking for a younger confederate to help him rob a certain old lady. Reluctantly, Casey goes along, but not only does the ensuing emotional price prove almost overwhelming for her, Paulie gets a savage beating when his foster father finds the stolen money. Then a predatory gypsy, who discovers that Casey's alone, arrives to crank up the level of anxiety another notch. Couloumbis (Getting Near To Baby, 1999, Newbery Honor), in perfectly cast characterization, pairs two young people here who aren't as tough or smart as they think they are-but who come through for each other in the pinch. Both also find unlooked-for allies when the going gets too tough-most notably Sylvia's levelheaded, large-hearted mother Fran, who sweeps in protectively as soon as she gets wind of what's happened, and then consoles Casey with the insight that Sylvia's not self-centered or evil, just weak, not perfect, but good. And that turns out to be enough, for when Sylvia ultimately does come back, remorseful but willing to take up where she left off, Casey's anger is sharp, but soon spent. The author tellingly communicates Casey's growing fear and Paulie's underlying fragility and leaves thoughtful readers plenty to chew over with this convincing portrait of young people learning how to make choices. (Fiction. 11-13)