Choke (review)

Best friends Windy and Elena are ordinary eighth graders, not A-listers like Windy longs to be. Elena, however, is less interested in the popular crowd, and Windy is beginning to find herself embarrassed by Elena's refusal to let go of her childish habits. When a pretty, sophisticated new girl named Nina shows up at school, Windy is happily surprised by her attention, especially when Nina stands up to the popular mean girls on Windy's behalf. As Windy becomes closer to Nina, though, she learns that Nina has a troubled past centering on her addiction to the choking game, which gives kids a brief thrill by cutting off their oxygen. Nina asks Windy if she wants to be "breath sisters," convincing her that the choking game is more about trust than about getting high; though Windy desperately longs to be one of Nina's inner circle, she soon realizes that the cost is just too high. Straightforward, simple prose and a high-interest topic make this a useful book for middle school, with several elements besides the dangers of the choking game that will spark important discussions. For instance, Windy's father is struggling with his professional image, and his issues with appearance parallel Windy's desire to join the popular crowd as well as tackling issues of prejudice against Mexican Americans (the cast is largely Latino/Latina). Windy is also getting some pressure to figure out what her interests are and how they will parlay into possible career choices. This is therefore clearly a novel written to highlight a practice that results in death or brain damage for as many as a thousand teens each year, but it also deals effectively with the many struggles ordinary kids face as they transition from tween to teen. Web resources for learning more about the choking game are included.