Leap of Faith

Blair, Jamie. Leap of Faith. Simon and Schuster BFYR, 2013.

Faith's mother is an addict, neglecting her family in search of the next hit. Faith and her older sister, Hope, have clung to each other for support, but Hope is going to be leaving for college soon, and Faith will be left alone. When Faith discovers that her mother is going to have a baby and sell it for more drug money, she kidnaps the baby, steals her mother's car, and escapes across state lines. Now she truly is alone, with a baby to care for. Will Faith be able to survive on her own and keep the truth about Addy to herself?

Faith belongs in the category of "characters who have had too much bad thrown at them." She is dealing with enough trouble on her own, but when she takes the baby and moves away, then her troubles only multiply. I was glad to see Faith make a wise decision at the end of the book, but I was surprised that the author didn't spell out the ending more clearly. I could see this book being popular with my students who enjoy "problem novels."

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: language, drug use, alcohol use, child abuse
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars