A novel about a kidnapping and her family’s fight to bring her home, Sharon Draper’s Panic is a definite page-turner and gripping take on the horrors of kidnappings. Diamond is a dancer who is convinced by a mysterious man at the mall that she should go with him and star in his film. Although skeptical at first, she is immediately convinced when the man mentions that two movie stars will be a part of the film. While her friend is at a nearby store buying tights, Diamond makes the terrible mistake of following the man to his car. Diamond’s short text message to her friend is the only indication as to where she is going, and the investigation to find her and her kidnapper begins.

Diamond is originally a confident and outgoing character in the novel, who quickly develops as the time she spends with her kidnapper goes on. As I expected, Draper uses realistic details and occurrences to develop Diamond’s character as her kidnapping goes on. For example, Draper does not use the cliche of having the “damsel in distress” come to her own aid immediately after she realizes the situation that she is in. I really enjoyed how the author gave the reader insight into the minds of all of the different characters. I could see how each character was handling Diamond’s kidnapping while trying to deal with other personal situations. One particular situation that I would like to point out is Layla, a friend of Diamond’s, relationship with her boyfriend. He is very abusive, and Layla is blind to it, believing the bruises he leaves on her body are a sign of his affection. I appreciate this realistic approach to abusive relationships in the novel.

I would definitely recommend this novel to young adults and adults alike, specifically to the former because this novel tells the story of how one bad decision can change the rest of your life. This novel is 272 pages of suspense, heartbreak, and real-life situations. The novel does include some mature topics such as abuse (as I mentioned before), but I enjoyed the novel all the same.