Boy, did Blink get off on the wrong floor. All he wanted was to steal some breakfast for his empty belly, but instead he stumbled upon a fake kidnapping and a cell phone dropped by an "abducted" CEO, giving Blink a link to his perfect blonde daughter. Now Blink is on the run, but it’s OK as long as he’s smart enough to stay in the game and keep Captain Panic locked in his hold. Enter a girl named Caution. As in "Caution: Toxic." As in "Caution: Watch Your Step." She’s also on the run, from a skeezy drug-dealer boyfriend and from a nightmare in her past that won’t let her go. When she spies Blink at the train station, Caution can see he’s an easy mark. But there’s something about this naïve, skinny street punk, whom she only wanted to rob, that tugs at her heart, a heart she thought deserved not to feel. Charged with suspense and intrigue, this taut novel trails two deeply compelling characters as they forge a blackmail scheme that is foolhardy at best, disastrous at worst - along with a fated, tender partnership that will offer them each a rare chance for redemption.
### From School Library Journal
Gr 9 Up-Blink and Caution are two teenage runaways in Toronto. Blink is getting by day to day by stealing breakfast leftovers from room-service trays in a fancy hotel when he accidentally observes a faked kidnapping of a wealthy CEO. Caution is on the run from an abusive and possessive drug-dealer boyfriend when she meets Blink. She falls in with him at first because she thinks he will be an easy mark, but finds herself strangely drawn to him. Blink, however, is obsessed with the kidnapping he witnessed, and the media storm surrounding it. To solve the mystery, the teens travel to a remote cabin, where they find that they are in over their heads, and it will take all of their cunning and street smarts to make it out alive. In this edgy, suspenseful read, Wynne-Jones does an excellent job of portraying the pair's budding relationship as they learn to trust one another in highly charged circumstances. The story is told in alternating viewpoints, with Blink's segments in second-person present tense, which adds a heightened sense of immediacy and urgency, though it may take some getting used to for readers unfamiliar with the style. Those who enjoy thought-provoking thrillers will not want to miss this novel.-Misti Tidman, formerly at Boyd County Public Library, Ashland, KY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
### From Booklist
What might have been a typical tale of urban desperation is turned into something more expansive and frequently beautiful, courtesy of Wynne-Jones' sensitive and perceptive writing. Street punk Blink, 16, so named for a fluttering facial tic, is having a normal day'sneaking into hotels and ransacking hallways for leftover food trays'when a discarded room key provides him with surprise information regarding a high-profile kidnapping hoax. In a parallel story line, 16-year-old Caution flees her abusive drug-dealing boyfriend, hitting the road with a wad of cash and retribution biting at her heels. The two hook up midbook, and their initial antagonism quickly turns into an unspoken understanding that by helping each other, they will find redemption. With its offscreen corporations and a handful of interchangeable goons, the plot never fully catches fire. But everything else is terrific: the short, punchy sentences Wynne-Jones fires like buckshot; the joy, fear, and doubt that punctuate the teens' every action. This is gritty, sure, but more than that, it's smart, and earns every drop of its hopeful finish. Grades 9-12. --Daniel Kraus
Description:
Boy, did Blink get off on the wrong floor. All he wanted was to steal some breakfast for his empty belly, but instead he stumbled upon a fake kidnapping and a cell phone dropped by an "abducted" CEO, giving Blink a link to his perfect blonde daughter. Now Blink is on the run, but it’s OK as long as he’s smart enough to stay in the game and keep Captain Panic locked in his hold. Enter a girl named Caution. As in "Caution: Toxic." As in "Caution: Watch Your Step." She’s also on the run, from a skeezy drug-dealer boyfriend and from a nightmare in her past that won’t let her go. When she spies Blink at the train station, Caution can see he’s an easy mark. But there’s something about this naïve, skinny street punk, whom she only wanted to rob, that tugs at her heart, a heart she thought deserved not to feel. Charged with suspense and intrigue, this taut novel trails two deeply compelling characters as they forge a blackmail scheme that is foolhardy at best, disastrous at worst - along with a fated, tender partnership that will offer them each a rare chance for redemption. ### From School Library Journal Gr 9 Up-Blink and Caution are two teenage runaways in Toronto. Blink is getting by day to day by stealing breakfast leftovers from room-service trays in a fancy hotel when he accidentally observes a faked kidnapping of a wealthy CEO. Caution is on the run from an abusive and possessive drug-dealer boyfriend when she meets Blink. She falls in with him at first because she thinks he will be an easy mark, but finds herself strangely drawn to him. Blink, however, is obsessed with the kidnapping he witnessed, and the media storm surrounding it. To solve the mystery, the teens travel to a remote cabin, where they find that they are in over their heads, and it will take all of their cunning and street smarts to make it out alive. In this edgy, suspenseful read, Wynne-Jones does an excellent job of portraying the pair's budding relationship as they learn to trust one another in highly charged circumstances. The story is told in alternating viewpoints, with Blink's segments in second-person present tense, which adds a heightened sense of immediacy and urgency, though it may take some getting used to for readers unfamiliar with the style. Those who enjoy thought-provoking thrillers will not want to miss this novel.-Misti Tidman, formerly at Boyd County Public Library, Ashland, KY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. ### From Booklist What might have been a typical tale of urban desperation is turned into something more expansive and frequently beautiful, courtesy of Wynne-Jones' sensitive and perceptive writing. Street punk Blink, 16, so named for a fluttering facial tic, is having a normal day'sneaking into hotels and ransacking hallways for leftover food trays'when a discarded room key provides him with surprise information regarding a high-profile kidnapping hoax. In a parallel story line, 16-year-old Caution flees her abusive drug-dealing boyfriend, hitting the road with a wad of cash and retribution biting at her heels. The two hook up midbook, and their initial antagonism quickly turns into an unspoken understanding that by helping each other, they will find redemption. With its offscreen corporations and a handful of interchangeable goons, the plot never fully catches fire. But everything else is terrific: the short, punchy sentences Wynne-Jones fires like buckshot; the joy, fear, and doubt that punctuate the teens' every action. This is gritty, sure, but more than that, it's smart, and earns every drop of its hopeful finish. Grades 9-12. --Daniel Kraus