Edwards, Jo. Love undercover.

EDWARDS, Jo. Love undercover. Simon & Schuster. 288p. c2006. 1-4169-2465-5. $5.99. J

16-year-old Kaitlyn doesn't exactly have ordinary parents. Her father is a secret agent for the FBI and her mother recently accepted a job with the local St. Louis newspaper writing a sex column. Kaitlyn has always kept her father's job a secret and now she wishes she could keep her mother's under wraps, too. As if that's not enough, her father brings home gorgeous Blaine, a 17-year-old in the Witness Protection Program. Now Kaitlyn has another secret to keep. Blaine assumes a new name, Gordon, and masquerades as Kaitlyn's third cousin from Georgia. Kaitlyn, formerly sort of a social outcast, becomes the center of attention at school as everyone tries to get close to Blaine/Gordon. Meanwhile, Kaitlyn uses her free time to become an expert on spy tactics. She works hard to keep anyone from getting too close to Blaine, for his own good and just maybe for her own selfish reasons.

Though the premise is enjoyable, the story is fairly dry. Blaine, despite his good looks and his charming personality, comes off as surprisingly naive. He never seems particularly suspicious of people or concerned for his safety--unlike Kaitlyn, who is always on the lookout. Over and over again Blaine takes sides against Kaitlyn, who he seemingly knows pretty well, and with Amber, Kaltlyn's nefarious sworn enemy. Readers looking for a light, romantic story with a bit of an edge will be satisfied with this quick, blithe read. Amanda MacGregor, St. Cloud, MN

J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers.