Presley may be smart, but she buckles under pressure – or more specifically, she alphabetizes. In stressful moments her mind grabs words and compulsively sorts the letters, like a frightened guard dog chasing its tail. So it’s no surprise when signs from the universe constantly warn her: stay out of the spotlight.
That’s hard to do when her Elvis-loving mom, the school secretary, plays embarrassing snippets of The King’s hits on the PA every day. It’s even harder when the school’s biggest goofball nominates Presley for president and her campaign speech turns disastrous. Her greatest refuge from the drama is her adorable nephew. But Luke’s mom – Presley’s teenage sister – has a secret that threatens to tear the boy from the family forever, unless Presley can stop it. Maybe the universe is out to get her. Or perhaps it’s whispering a new message: Stay cool. Step into the spotlight. Summon your inner Elvis. |
When her revenge plan goes awry, fourteen-year-old Dani Burkhart finds herself in unexpected places: the back seat of a cop car, the police station holding room, Juvenile Court. She wants her old life, the one with a family that’s not falling apart. She wants to stay in her home with the woods in back, and keep her carefree dog with the windshield wiper tail, and hear her big brother laugh and shout “Sweet, D-Dawg!” when her curveball dips like a sparrow.
Dani has always believed her grandmother’s philosophy: Right will win. But if everything is going wrong, why not punish the cruel neighbor who’s to blame for her troubles – who pulled the string that started everything unraveling? Makes sense – unless there’s more to the story than Dani wants to admit. FAULT LINES traces Dani’s journey through the rubble of loss to the path she finds back to forgiveness and hope. |