Synopsis of Panic by Sharon M. Draper

Imagine being 15 years old. You're at the mall, getting pizza for yourself and your friend while your friend is doing a little bit of impulse shopping. A stranger approaches you and offers you a position to star in a movie alongside your favorite actresses/actors. You're sold a dream by someone who seems to have it all together. They're promising you an amazing opportunity that you think is just TOO GOOD to pass up. So you trust this complete stranger.. you text your friend that you're leaving with a stranger to audition for a role in his or her movie. You go off with the stranger to his or her home, in God knows where, alone. Your phone has died and no one knows your whereabouts. Everything begins to seem suspicious as you're at the stranger's home. Whats next? The stranger offers you a drink. You accept. After the stranger brings you your drink, you notice it is still fizzing up. You drink it and begin to black in and black out. You wake up, nude, tied to a chair... Your cries and screams for help are unheard as you lie in the darkness.

You'd panic right?

I enjoy reading books by Sharon M. Draper. She's actually the reason I began writing. When I noticed she had released this book on March 12, 2013, I was excited to get to my library to pick it up. I actually didn't check it out from my local library until March 26, but whatever. At first, I used the book as a treat/reward to urge myself to study. Too bad I began reading this book and immediately got sucked in by it. Every chapter was a page turner that left you wanting more. I started reading this book at around 8:30 pm on Tuesday night and finished it at 12:50 am on Wednesday. I don't want to give out the details of the book, but I will highlight some things I felt stood out to me.

The main characters (in which, I felt, the book is mainly centered around) is Layla Ridgewood and Diamond Landers. There are more characters, but their lives play a role in these main two. Layla is 15 or 16 (my memory sucks), she has a boyfriend, Donovan, who mistreats her and she believes does no wrong and a mother who works a lot and dates unsettling men to feel the void of her husband being in jail for a crime he didn't commit. Layla is definitely a daddy's girl, but its hard because she hasn't seen her dad in years. Dancing has been her outlet to everything. Its how she expresses herself. Donny is abusive, controlling, manipulative  and the scum of the Earth. Its sad to me because I've seen young women in a situation like this. Layla had a void in her heart to feel from losing her father and Donny filled it. Although he was worthless and everyone knew he didn't deserve her, she could only blame herself when things went wrong. She didn't want to believe she could simply do without him. Layla wasn't confident in herself at all. She may have been blinded about her self worth and beauty, but that didn't stop Justin Braddock from seeing it. Justin was in love with the thought of Layla, but she couldn't see it. Everyone knew Layla deserved Justin.

On the other hand, Diamond Landers couldn't simply walk away from her situation. She was abducted from a public mall for six days and six nights with almost no hope of escaping. The situation terrified me because most children who are abducted are never found. They are simply marked as "missing" by the police and forgotten by society. Its not right. I could relate to this because my cousin had been missing for a week and simply marked as a suicide when it was apparent she had not, but that's another topic for another time. Anyway, Diamond endures things that she had never imagined possible by a handsome man named Thane. She had been tricked and used for profit and there was no escaping. Diamond was repeatedly drugged for Thane to proceed with his pleasures. Soon he drew weary of using drugs and began to give her less. Which meant she would be awake at night while he did his business (I shall not say). Worried and sick with guilt, Mercedes Ford, Diamond's best friend since grade school, tried to hold everyone together. She couldn't bear to think of Diamond never coming home. She had hope. Mercedes' boyfriend, Steve Wilkins, and Justin were there for support. They kind of stood out as a symbol to me. Especially Justin. A symbol for strength  love & support.

The only thing that got these four students through their difficult situations was dancing. They all attended dance classes at Crystal Pointe Dance Academy. Dance helped them to see the beauty in life, to relieve stress, and to be excel at their dreams. It was a second home to them all. Their teacher, Miss Ginger, was always supportive, uplifting, and kind. She saw things in them that no one else could. Even if they were hiding it. She's definitely another symbol in this book. Whenever the kids had an issue or trouble  they'd turn to Miss Ginger. I'd admire having someone in my life like that.

Some may wonder why Ms. Sharon M. Draper chose to use Peter Pan, well, do you know the real story behind it? Peter Pan is about three children who are stolen from their room. Hey, its a Disney movie. We never want to see the bad in those. Frankly, I've never seen the movie, but I recommend you to read this book. Questions you may have about it can be answered HERE.

In one chapter in the book, Thane told Diamond if she didn't do as he said, he'd kidnap her sister and do the same to her. He admitted that he had been watching Diamond for weeks before approaching her. He had also watched the Landers' home and her little sister, Shasta, while Diamond was being held captive. My advice is to be aware of your surroundings at ALL times. Watch how people act, look, or respond to things. As always, NEVER talk to strangers. Never give out your information. I have to take heed of this because as a teenager, I like to walk around listening to loud music. Let's all take this advice and pass it on to loved ones.

I hate that this post is all over the place but I'm sleepy now. So, I am sorry for the inconvenience. This pretty much wraps up my thoughts for the night. I love the book and believe a lot of people should read it. It could help guide a young man as to whom he should be like and help guide a woman to avoid abusive situations.

PS. I didn't even study :///

To purchase Panic, click this link: http://sharondraper.com/bookdetail.asp?id=73

To read other reviews of Panic, click this link: http://sharondraper.com/bookdetail-reviews.asp?id=73

"Writing for me is a very fluid process--I sit down a wait for the words to come. They usually do-in buckets and waves. It's amazing. I look upon it as a blessing because the words come so easily. I start with an idea, or a problem or a conflict, or even a situation that might be pertinent to the lives of young people, then the characters grow from that point." - Sharon M. Draper