Efaw, Amy. Battle dress - Brief Article - Young Adult Review - Book Review

HarperCollins, Trophy. 382p. c2000. 0-06-053520-2. $6.99. JS

Author Amy Efaw, a real-life graduate of West Point, has written a gripping novel about 17-year-old Andi Davis, who leaves her abusive and dysfunctional family and flees to the discipline of West Point. Like all incoming cadets, she must report in the summer prior to her first academic year in order to go through Beast, the grueling training designed to separate the wheat from the chaff. As Andi wrestles with her uniform, her roommate, the constant yelling, and the rifle drills, she begins to find her niche as she shows her talent as a runner. While her years of suffering the verbal abuse of her parents enable her to withstand the haranguing of her superiors, she realizes that she must learn to become a leader and have more confidence in herself in order to be of use to her fellow cadets. Friendship and unlikely support manage to assist her in growing into her true potential.

Efaw admits to streamlining some of the bureaucratic details of West Point and everyone but true sticklers will thank her for leaving out the minute details of rank differentiation. Her writing is straightforward and compelling, making Battle Dress a real page-turner. Andi's style and ability make her a heroine attractive to both genders as well as reluctant readers interested in military subjects. Every junior high, senior high, and public library that wants to boost its circulation stats should prepare a book talk on Battle Dress and buy more than one copy for their shelves. Courtney Lewis, Libn., Wyoming Seminary Sch., Kingston, PA

J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers.

S--Recommended for senior high school students.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Kliatt
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group