Exit, Pursued by a Bear

Starred review from February 15, 2016
Johnston (A Thousand Nights) draws from Shakespeare's "The Winter's Tale," and perhaps as much from too-common present-day headlines, in the fearless story of a 17-year-old Ontario cheerleader getting a sense of her new normal after being drugged and raped at cheer camp. While Hermione's lack of specific memories of the assault offer a kind of protection, triggers surface (the smell of pine, the bass line of a song), and there's the awful reality that any of the six male members of her own team could have been involved. Hermione's relationship with her boyfriend collapses, and a pregnancy test comes back positive, but friends like her co-captain, Molly, are beyond steadfastâJohnston makes it abundantly clear what assets Hermione has in her own physical and mental discipline, as well as in the bedrock unity of her team. While Hermione is a victim, Johnson never portrays her as victimized, instead focusing on how Hermione reasserts control over her life with help from family, friends, and therapy, using her own decisions to push back against something in which she had no such choice. Ages 14âup. Agent: Josh Adams, Adams Literary.

Starred review from December 15, 2015
A driven cheerleader confronts life and relationships following her sexual assault. When Hermione Winters arrives at Camp Manitouwabing for the final pre-season cheer camp of her high school career, she's prepared for intense competition and exhausting practices. Working with her fierce best friend Polly as co-captain, Hermione anticipates athletic challenges and triumphs--not being drugged and raped at a camp dance. Because her rapist leaves her propped up on a rock in the camp's lake, there's little DNA evidence to be recovered, and Hermione has no memory of what happened to her. When a pregnancy test two weeks later yields a positive result, Hermione knows she has a second chance at justice. Johnston's clever--but never precious--update of Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale is unflinching but not at all graphic in its treatment of sexual violence and abortion and likewise honestly confronts the wider repercussions of rape culture and victim-blaming, particularly in small towns. Hermione's is one type of sexual-assault and trauma-survival story: she enjoys all the advantages of being popular and middle-class, and she gets the help she needs so she can continue to enjoy that life. This doesn't make Hermione's journey easy; her victories are earned. An author's note follows, explaining that Hermione's experience is a best-case scenario, providing links for both U.S. and Canadian resources, and offering encouragement to readers not so lucky as Hermione. Middle and high school readers will pass this powerful, engaging story around and around. Adults should be ready to join in the discussion that follows. (Fiction. 12-18)

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Starred review from January 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-Palermo Heights is known for two things. One, its phenomenal cheerleading team, and two, a supposed streak every year that sees one student die and one student get pregnant. As team captain, Hermione Winters is determined to see that tradition broken. Yet after a sexual assault takes place at camp, she is forced to reconcile her goals with her new reality and decide what course her life will take. Competitive cheerleading provides a unique and compelling backdrop to this take on Shakespeare's A Winter's Tale. There are no caricatures, only well-drawn, strong female protagonists and caring but believably flawed adults. The repercussions that the incident have on her relationships are realistic but occasionally seem to provide a best-case scenario to how people interact with victims of rape. Most notably, the friendship between the main character and her fierce best friend is a constant source of strength and humor. Hermione's story traces her reactions to a sexual assault in a nuanced fashion that confronts the horror but doesn't dwell in its shadow. Throughout the book, the setting in a tiny Canadian town and the protagonist's hyper focus and dedication to her sport lend realism to the text. VERDICT A beautifully written portrait of a young woman facing the unthinkable, this is a must-buy for high school collections.-Erinn Black Salge, Saint Peter's Prep, Jersey City, NJ

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from January 1, 2016
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Palermo Heights High School is cursed: in every graduating class, one student gets pregnant and another dies. Hermione Winters' rising senior class has already had their deatha girl killed by a drunk driver years earlierbut so far, no pregnancy. For Hermione, though, this is simply the last year she will spend as one of her school's elite cheerleaders (Kodiaks, like the bear). But at end-of-summer cheerleading camp, Hermione is drugged, raped, and impregnated. There's plenty of fallout: rumors abound at school, and her boyfriend thinks she was asking for it, though her friend Polly stands by her. Meanwhile, a police detective's career is made, and, somewhere, a boy has gotten away with it. But all Hermione wants is just to live her life. This takes many of its cues (and its title) from Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, but about halfway through, this Hermione's tale takes a much different turn. Fierce and gorgeously drawn, this is a rape story that doesn't focus on victimhood: Hermione suffers and abortion is portrayed frankly, but ultimately this is a story of friendship, growing up, and a girl who, despite trauma, has plenty of life left. Hermione pursues normalcy, adamant that she is not a warning, not a statue, not something to be whispered about. Just a girl. And, maybe, a bear.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2016
Cheerleading co-captain Hermione Winters is drugged and raped at cheer camp and terminates the resulting pregnancy. Since she can't remember the rape, it's almost as if it happened to someone else. Well-developed secondary characters--including her fiercely protective best friend, therapist, and coach--are a strong support system in a compelling, emotional story in which Hermione struggles to piece things together.

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)