Reviewer: Lori Graham
Title: The Masquerade - Becoming Beka Series – Book 1
Author: Sarah Anne Sumpolec
Publisher: Moody Publishers
ISBN: 0-802464-51-3
Release Date: July 2003
Genre/Sub-genre: Young Adult Fiction
Year/Setting: Current
Overall rating: 4.5
Sexual content rating: None
Language (profanity) rating: None
Violence Rating: None
Sarah's Website:
www.sarahannesumpolec.com/BecomingBeka/index.html
Rebekah (also known as Beka) struggles with the same nightmare each night and it is getting to the point that sleep and night are enemies in general. The dream sometimes changes just a bit but it always ends the same – with her mother dying. The truly unfortunate side is that when she wakes up, her mother truly is dead.
Beka is a high school student along with her brother Paul. She also has two younger sisters, Anna and Lucy. They don’t seem to be struggling the way that Beka does. Lucy was always close to their mother so surely she has no regrets. Anna is still a little girl so she is just generally sweet and doesn’t really worry about these things. Paul is looking forward to college so he really isn’t in the here and now. The peacefulness these three seem to have found – along with her father – must come from these sources. Right?
Beka is also at a point in life where peers are playing a rather large influence. Her friend, Gretchen, is one of the popular students and has been her friend for years. However, after Beka’s mother died, Gretchen didn’t know how to deal with Beka and pulled away. Now she is coming back to Beka which makes Beka wonder why. Plus there is a new girl in school who Beka finds herself relating to – Lori.
Everything seems to be happening at once – her mother dying, her friendships taking major turns and, of course, a new boy in her life. Is it any surprise that she finds it all overwhelming and she needs outside help to find some calm?
Sarah Anne Sumpolec deals with real life issues in The Masquerade as Beka attempts to deal with the changes life throws at her. Her struggles are real and touchingly documented. They are also presented from multiple viewpoints which I believe might present some ideas to the reader that they might not have though of on their own. The characters portrayed are easy to relate to and the method of writing is easily read. Don’t get me wrong it is far from simplistic but flows smoothly and cleanly from scene to scene.
I would recommend this book for high school girls and might be really well used in a high school girl book club.
Lori
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