(2) 4-6 Twenty-eight years after Tangerine (rev. 7/97) was published, Bloor returns with a sequel to his classic debut that picks up after the first book ends. Having been expelled from public school, Paul Fisher is finishing up seventh grade at St. Anthony's Prep, but he cannot wait to return to Tangerine Middle School for eighth grade to rejoin their championship soccer team as goalie. Once again, his sociopathic older brother, Erik, has escaped the consequences of his actions -- his involvement in a series of robberies and in a boy's death -- and has been sentenced to house arrest rather than incarceration. As the summer wears on, Paul stays away from Erik, befriends a Jewish boy facing antisemitism, practices with the War Eagles, and avoids the new family who has moved into the community to open a sandwich franchise. The parents are soliciting investors, while the daughter aggressively pushes coupon sales, and Paul is convinced that the oldest boy robbed the local 7-Eleven. As a tropical storm passes through Tangerine, everything comes to a head, and Paul is named as the sole witness to an alleged crime. He'll need to weigh competing claims of truth, loyalty, justice, and mercy to find a path through the ethical dilemma. If Bloor's villains seem a bit over the top, they fit perfectly in Tangerine County with its sinkholes, underground fires, and frequent lightning strikes. A welcome reunion with a memorable character.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2025

(3) YA Tom recounts the events in a year during which methamphetamine addiction ravishes his small Pennsylvania town, located near the site of the 9/11 crash and a coal mining disaster. Tom and his friends struggle with trying to figure out how to help those around them deal with addiction and loss. Layered main characters make for an engaging story.

Reviewer: Randy Ribay

(4) YA As the time allotted to her parents to raise a ransom ticks past, thirteen-year-old Charity alternates between remembering recent episodes from her privileged life and arguing with the angry, impoverished young kidnapper assigned to guard her. Bloor raises significant questions about economic and racial injustice in this futuristic thriller, but the heavy-handed noblesse oblige of the conclusion blunts the message.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(4) 4-6 A World War II–era radio serves as the conduit between present-day New Jersey and London during the Blitz for seventh-grader Martin Conway. Slipping back and forth in time, Martin uncovers information about his war-hero grandfather and mends his relationship with his alcoholic father. Tinged with Catholic spirituality, the story is a provocative but not wholly successful mix of history and fantasy.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) YA Bloor takes current education policies to the extreme with the Whittaker Magnet School, where students are given standardized tests every day and the administrators are cartoon-style evildoers. The over-the-top plot culminates in a disastrous visit from the First Lady, whose Chief of Staff helps likable protagonists Kate and George save the day.

Reviewer: Lauren Adams

(2) YA Barely conscious of her own unhappiness, fifteen-year-old Roberta spends all her time working at her family's virtual-reality arcade in a failing mall. When a handful of events converge and wake her from her semi-slumber, Roberta finally confronts the horrid truth of her mother's murder. Loaded with moral and ethical concerns, Bloor's novel offers a palpable atmosphere and a fascinating range of undeniably human characters.

Reviewer: Lauren Adams | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2000