Leap by Jane Breskin Zalben Ages 10+ 272 pages Knopf January 2007 Hardcover     Daniel and Krista have been friends since elementary school, when they were swim buddies on the Barracuda swim team. Lately, things have been strained as Daniel and Krista begin to have other interests and other friends. Suddenly, following a simple dental procedure, Daniel is paralyzed from the waist down and can no longer swim or even walk. His faltering relationship with Krista is magnified by her interest in Bobby, and the fact that Daniel’s therapist is Krista’s father. As each young teen tells the story, the reader flips back and forth from Krista to Daniel. In the midst of the tale, the reader hears about Krista’s desire to fit in with the other girls, but also about her abiding loyalty to Daniel. Krista truly wants to help Daniel and is willing to accept the taunts from other friends about how she chooses to use her time. The guilt of Daniel’s paralysis lies with Bobby, whose father performed the dental procedure, and with Daniel’s mother, who simply finds it impossible to cope. One of the definitions of leap is “to transition.” Leap is a story of teen drama and family commitment, of children in transition to becoming adults. It is a reminder that life can change in a moment and that, for many of life’s decisions, children are asked to bear a responsibility that is not theirs. Although the characters are somewhat light, the situations are well developed. There is much to be considered here and much to be discussed. The awarding-winning author has six other novels to her credit as well as cookbooks, picture books and short stories.     web reviews   Joyce Rice/2011 for curled up with a good kid's book   For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews, visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)