There is no tidy description for sexual predators. Even though kids are taught at a young age not to talk to strangers, abductions continue. Why I like this story: Sharon Draper has written a gripping and contemporary novel that is very real in today’s world. Each student selects a dance that fits their personality and expresses their own fear or desperation for Diamond - a beautiful and powerfully moving cathartic release. My favorite scene in the book is when the dancers are with their instructor, Miss Ginger. What holds the troupe together is their concern for Diamond and their love of music and dance. There are some very important themes of relational and sexual abuse, teen dating abuse, trust, and family issues woven into the story. There are parallel stories told as Draper alternates between Diamond’s abduction, the emotional reaction of the high school dance troupe to the situation and the every day drama of their own personal lives. When Mercedes arrives minutes later, Diamond is gone.Įvery other chapter is the voice of one of the main dancers, Diamond, Mercedes, Layla and Justin. He tells Diamond that he’s supposed to meet his wife and daughter there. A well-dressed stranger approaches Diamond and asks for directions to the food court. While Mercedes is looking around, Diamond heads to the food court to buy food so they won’t be late. Diamond and her best friend, Mercedes, make a trip to the mall before a dance performance to purchase tights. Synopsis: The Crystal Pointe Dance Academy is shaken when one of its members, 15-year-old Diamond, goes missing and no one can find her.

Opening: “Diamond knows not to talk to strangers.

Themes: Dance, Kidnapping, Sexual Predators, Sexual Abuse, Teen Dating Abuse, African-American Atheneum Books for Young Readers, YA Fiction, March 2013

Panic book by sharon m draper