Chelsey & the Green-Haired Kid

Every since she was a toddler, Chelsey has been confined to a wheelchair. Now 13, she strives for independence and uses the community bus service to get around. Because she doesn't fit into the bleachers at the high school to watch the basketball game with the rest of the fans, she has to sit behind them. This creates an unusual vantage point-not of the game, but of a murder. No one believes her, so she teams up with Jack, a misunderstood teenager with green hair, to try and figure out what happened. They discover that the murder goes deep into the town and the drug underworld.

I like this book for a few reasons. 1-It is a very quick read. The suspense in the story motivates the reader to continue until the end of the story. There is some predictability, but even the use of a drug ring in a small, Midwestern town is an interesting twist. 2-The author is from Iowa City, and the setting in the story is definitely influenced by this. One of the best scenes takes place on a steep hill that could only be the hill in downtown Iowa City. 3-Chelsey's disability is not a hindrance, or even a big deal. She deals with her chair in a matter-of-fact way, never pitying herself, instead being mature and realistic about it. Overall, this is a good, fun, mystery.