Masked by Norah McClintock

Daniel has a secret and not altogether ethical task to complete when he enters a convenience store. While he is snapping pictures of documents from a cabinet in a dirty old storeroom, a masked man with a gun enters the store. We think he’s there just to rob the owner and take off with the cash. But when he demands that he take the owner’s daughter with him, the complications begin.

What if Rosie’s boyfriend Corey, who is waiting to run away with her, walks through the door? How can Daniel get out? Is Rosie’s dad really the beast she describes? Or is his plea not to hurt his daughter more true to his character?

High school housekeeping: Masked is a quick read for students working on their reading skills. The Lexile level is 650 (about grade 5). Each chapter is told from the point of view of one of the people in the convenience store during the robbery—Daniel, Rosie and the Masked Man. It’s fun to see the story get stranger and stranger as the characters reveal their motivations for what they are doing. This is a robbery going wrong, but certainly not your typical one.