review 1: The Sharp Time is a beautifully worded book of grief and friendship. Sandinista wishes she could go back to when her mother was alive, when they embarked on lovely fun filled Saturdays together. But now, her mother has been killed in a car accident, and Sandinista is trying to move on. But when her teacher verbally and physically abuses her in front of the whole class, she leaves school, and heads out to get a job at The Pale Circus, all the while waiting, and hoping that this teacher isn’t hurting her classmate, who has a disability, too, hoping that the teacher will get her justice served out to her. Maybe by Sandinista herself. But as the week drags along without a word, she loses hope. Can Sandinista find the courage to speak out against this teachers abuse? Or will ... moreshe stay silent forever? review 2: This book was well written. The author certainly has a way with words and phrases, and I liked Sandinista as a character. So, why only two stars? Sadinista's voice, totally inauthentic to me. I have spent the last 9 years as a librarian at two different public schools and served as the Young Adult librarian at a public library, and I have never, ever met an eighteen year old who thinks and talks like Sandinista. I was still able to enjoy the book, but not as much as I would have liked. less
