The Imposter by Gary Blackwood

Okay, I've been scarce for a while.  Between the Olympics, Shark Week, and the start of a new school year, my schedule has been a little hectic.  I know that one reason some people give for not reading more is that they don't have time, so I decided to review a book that's pretty short and very quick.  The Imposter by Gary Blackwood manages to squeeze humor, suspense, and drama into less than 200 pages. The book was just published this year, but Blackwood began drafting this story 20 years ago.   

Title: The Imposter

Author: Gary Blackwood

Pages: 192

Publisher: Red Deer Press

ISBN: 9780889954786

Publication date: May 1, 2012
AR Levels:  N/A 

Goodreads link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13106348-the-imposter

In a nutshell: Ryan Waite is a 14-year old actor who lives with his mother in Canada.  When he receives a phone call from a mysterious man asking him to audition for a play, he decides to give it a shot but soon learns that this would be a role unlike any other he's played in the past.  The man he thought was a casting director turns out to be a private detective who has been searching for the long lost son of a very wealthy man who happens to be dying; after the search turned out to be a bust, the detective decided to hire an actor to play the son so that they could split the money promised for finding the son. After arriving at the home of his long lost "father," Ryan (now called Allen Kurz) instantly bonds with Kelley--his new "sister"--but his new "stepmother" is on to him from the beginning.  Can Ryan stay in character long enough to pull off this role or will the truth catch up with him?  

I'd recommend it for grades: 6th-12th+.  Very easy read without a lot of PG content.

I'd recommend it to: Students who like acting and drama, as well as those who like a little mild suspense

What I liked most about this book: It was very simple.  Blackwood didn't try to beef up the book with racy content or extra fluff.  The book moves at a fast pace but isn't hard to follow.

Single favorite moment (without getting spoiler-y):  I know this isn't a specific part of the book, but I laughed a lot when I finally hit the point in the book that confirmed that it is set in 1990s Canada.  I definitely didn't see that coming.

Star rating (where 5 stars is awesome and 0 stars is atrocious): 3 stars.  The book wasn't perfect, but it delivered a pretty good story for what it was.