Cassie Vlk - 17

Reviewed by Grandma Bev for TeensReadToo.com

(OF ICE AND ICING is the third-place winner in the 2007 Tweener Time International Championship Series. Cassie Vlk was a high school senior at Rockford Christian High School, Rockford, Illinois, when she won her scholarship award. She is continuing her education at Indiana Wesleyan University.)

Bromm's parents were killed in an automobile accident when he was an infant, and he knows very little about them. Now he is fifteen years old and has lived with his aunt Melinda and cousin, Vivian, since the accident.

Aunt Melinda.goes to work every day, but she is very secretive about her job. Bromm and Vivian only know that the name of the company is "B's Gourmet Foods." Since she really doesn't know how to cook, that is a strange company for her to operate. Not only that, but she doesn't allow Bromm to cook, either. He decides to get to the bottom of the mystery.

Bromm is a hockey star in his high school, and his aunt has always encouraged him in that sport. Bromm's teacher assigns him a seat next to a girl named Gayle in Biology, who has a secret crush on him. Poor Gayle...she is not one of the popular kids. Everyone teases Bromm about her, but then Bromm discovers that she knows quite a lot about his past and his family, and might be able to help him find out just what is going on with Aunt Melinda.

Bromm and Gayle decide to investigate and see just what the business is that Aunt Melinda operates and why she is so secretive about it. During the investigation, Bromm learns, incidentally, that Gayle is really quite likable.

Cassie Vlk has written a wonderfully suspenseful story showing teens at their problem-solving best, with some surprises along the way.… (más)