“Pretty Crooked,” by Elisa Ludwig, Katherine Tegen Books, March 13, 2012, hardcover, $17.99 (ages 13 and up)
Willa’s never had very much money, and she’s been OK with that. She’s developed her own sense of style and likes who she’s become. But when her artist mom sells a bunch of her work and moves them to a swanky new home, Willa can’t help but appreciate the finer things.
As a new student at Valley Prep, the most exclusive private school in town, Willa suddenly finds herself surrounded by affluence. She also finds herself quickly admitted into the Glitterati, an elite group of students who want for nothing. Willa’s happy to find acceptance so quickly, but she soon learns it comes at a price. Her new friends are judgmental of and beyond cruel to the school’s scholarship students, who are living lives not far from where Willa used to be.
And that’s when she gets an idea.
It’s a simple idea, really. One that’s actually been around for a long time. Willa will become Robin Hood. She’ll take from the rich kids and give to the poor. It’s not as if the rich kids will miss anything. They’re always tossing aside money and expensive gadgets around like they’re worth nothing.
The amazing thing is, the idea works. At least in the beginning. Sure, learning to break into cars and lockers is difficult, but giving to the poor kids makes it all worth it. Worth it until the police get involved. Worth it until the Glitterati start spreading rumors. Worth it until Willa gets caught.
There’s a lot going on in “Pretty Crooked.” From the above description, you’d think it’s quite straightforward. But it’s not. And that’s one of the downfalls of the book. (Spoiler Alert) Aside from the whole stealing from people thing, there’s a side story with Aiden, a rich kid at school who Willa falls for; a side story with Willa’s mom who appears to be hiding something; and a side story with a stranger breaking into Willa’s house.
With all this, the book ends in a cliffhanger that feels less like a cliffhanger and more like a missing second half. In fact, it feels as if the whole Robin Hood episode was author Elisa Ludwig’s way of introducing the actual story she wanted to tell, except she never tells it. Yes, “Pretty Crooked” is part of a series. No, I didn’t expect Elisa to wrap everything up in a neat bow. I would, however, have liked a more cohesive tale without so many unanswered tangents. Hopefully, they’ll be addressed better in the series’ second book.
I know it sounds like I didn’t like “Pretty Crooked,” but that’s not true. It was fun getting in Willa’s head — confused and misguided as it was. And I appreciated Elisa’s ability to keep the story moving forward. Some tighter editing, however, would have made for fewer frustrations for the reader. I’m looking forward to (and hoping) to greater development on Elisa’s part as a writer in her future endeavors.
