Background: In her eighth grade year, Lilith meets a young boy who is both interesting and interested in her. They have a great time together and all is well, until one day Lily is kidnapped and brought to the Wackerson Academy, a school of boot camp, a scientific center that may be experimenting on people and you learn how to kick butt in preparation for something. Will Lily be able to survive in this weird place or will she be able to make it home to her friends, family, and normal school.

Review: I have to start this review by stating that it is impressive that a 14 year old wrote this book. It was inventive and interesting and very creative…however I felt like there was a lot that could have been done to polish the book. The characters were interesting to follow but there were many times I was confused about their actions due to lack of character development. Lily was a good strong lead character but she was wishy-washy when it came to her feelings about Dustin, there are even parts where she gets distracted by a cute barista…it was weird.

The plot was fun when you could follow it, she is kidnapped and brought to a school, but there is never development past that. Why is she at the school? Why is the school there and important? None of this is addressed at all and it leaves the reader confused and disappointed.

It took me a VERY long time to read this book all the way through, I just couldn’t DNF it, I really wanted the ending to fill all the holes that the characters and plot left hanging out there, sadly it didn’t and I can’t really say it is a recommended book.

I give the author props for her age and accomplishment, but there is a lot to be said for serious editing and pre-readers. ( )

This is the first book in a series from 16 year old Faith Wilkins. Wacko Academy tells the story of Lily Mason who is kidnapped by the owner of the elite Wackerson Academy. The story of her plans to escape is funny and quickly paced, Can she trust the owner’s son, Dustin? Is he trying to help or is he just tricky? This book will appeal to middle school students. It might even inspire a few to write their own books. ( )