Hannah and Cyclops

"Hannah and Cylcops" is about two fifth graders, Hannah Bernstein and Rafi Alexander. Rafi just moved to the school and has already earned the nickname "Cyclops" because of the swollen eye he came to school with one day. From the beginning, Hannah doesn't really like Rafi, basically because most of the other students don't like him--he's too quiet, dyslexic, and always looks like he's been in a fight. Hannah's mother, however, insists he come over for dinner sometime. And after that one night, Hannah learns a lot more about him than she wanted to when he asks her, "Does your father ever lock you in the basement?" and "Have they ever put you in a clothes dryer?"Yet it's not until Hannah overhears her parents discussing Rafi's injuries that she realizes where his bruises and broken bones come from--his stepfather. Then Hannah stops at nothing to prove he's being abused, even sneaking over to his house at night and witnessing it happen.The targetted audience is 8 to 12-year-olds, but everyone can benefit from the moral of the story--protect one another. It's a great story about Hannah's bravery and determination to save Rafi and takes on the very delicate issue of child abuse.Even though this book is set for younger readers, I thought it would have made a much better young adult novel if Hannah and Rafi had been developed more and an extra 100 or so pages added. Otherwise, I thought the story was interesting enough and suitable for everyone.