Mission Impossible

Jean Free is a retired teacher-librarian and library consultant in
Whitby, Ontario.

Jill Gilbert struggles to find herself as she enters high school. She
hates pink, thinks the Lovely Legs competition sponsored by her school
newspaper is sexist, plays chess, and refuses to be an athlete. When a
classmate, Liza, confesses to having been raped and to having tried to
commit suicide, Jill and her football hero brother, Dwayne, befriend her
and try to build her confidence so that she can better fit into
high-school social life. As they try to understand Liza’s complex
emotions, they improve their own family relationships and learn the
importance of friendship.

Mission Impossible attacks such assumptions as everyone loves football,
and young women must shave their legs, wear nail polish, and try out to
be cheerleaders. It is about resisting the crowd and thinking for
oneself. The story is clever, witty, often satirical, and humorous and
will appeal to young adults. Recommended.