Kat Got Your Tongue

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY JUN 4, 2007

Although this novel's premise traumatized teen suffers from amnesia may seem soap-operatic at first, Weatherly (Child X) infuses enough complexity and intrigue into the plot to keep readers absorbed. Nobody knows why 13-year-old Kathy ran out in front of a car or why her resulting injuries have triggered a loss of memory. More mysteries arise as Kathy (who now prefers to be called "Kat") discovers unsettling facts about her past. She learns that she was once a gifted musician, but no one can tell her why she gave up playing the violin. Her father is dead and her mother seems reluctant to talk about him. Most puzzling of all is the odd behavior of the three girls who were supposedly her best friends. Instead of being sympathetic about her plight, they seem angry at her, believing that she is faking her illness. Flashing between past and present, the author offers insight to the girl's troubled state of mind before the accident and simultaneously traces her difficult reentry into a world full of strangers. Connections between Kat's love of music, her father's death and her friends' hostility finally come to light when a hidden journal is discovered that explains the sequence of events leading to the heroine's accident. Even though the novel ends before her memory returns, teens will rest assured that recovery is imminent as Kat comes to terms with the person she used to be and a past that cannot be totally erased. Ages 12-up.