RX

by Tracy Lynn

Book Overview

From the talented author that brought you the Nine Lives of Chloe King series comes a timely and thought-provoking novel inspired by the epidemic of prescription drug abuse among teens. Thyme Gilcrest... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416911553
• ISBN13: 9781416911555
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: Simon Pulse
• Length: 262 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.0" x 7.0"
• Age Range: 14 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 9 and higher

Customer Reviews

Absolutely the worst book I've ever read. I wouldn't suggest it for anyone; I couldn't even bring myself to finish it. The author capitalizes random phrases and words and the main character is so obnoxious and annoying that you'll actually wonder about what's going on in teenager's heads. So much is wrong that I can't even list all the things, nor put them into words. Don't get this book. It's a waste of money and time.

RX

This is a book that I hestitate (just a bit) to put on my bookshelf in my classroom. It is an edgy subject to be sure, but a necessary one to open the eyes of naive teenagers and parents to the growing abuse of prescription drugs. You hear it in the news quite often- kids need go no further than the medicine chest in their home to get high. As a parent, this scares me to death. As a teacher, I feel confident that this book can help educate my students to the dangers of prescription drug use. So, it will go on my shelf. I will gladly explain my rationale to any concerned parent. Thyme Gilcrest is an honor student and overall pillar of the school community. She is soon to apply to prestigious colleges and feels the immense pressure to make sure her GPA is as high as it can be, that she is in all the right clubs, and doing all the right community service projects that will ensure her entry into a good college. The pressure she, and many students like her, is under causes distraction , which she misdiagnoses as ADD. Her parents refuse to allow her to go on Ritalin, widely known and abused as a "study drug". If she could just get her hands on some Ritalin, all her problems would be solved. And so begins Thyme's story. What is very interesting about this novel is that it destroys the stereotype of the kinds of kids that use drugs. The users in this novel are the "good kids"- the one's with supportive parents, money, high IQs, popular, athletic. And they think that since they are using "legal" drugs, it's all good! No worries- it can't hurt me if a doctor prescribes these, regardless of who they were prescribed for. Tracy Lynn has nailed the teen vernacular, and this could cause some adults to complain about the foul language. But again, in defense of Lynn, she has written a novel meant to educate and warn teens about abusing prescription drugs without being preachy and condescending. Lynn expertly shows the rationalizing that goes on to justify the drug use, as well as the parents part in all of this- their own habits that are unwittingly proving to be a negative example for their children. I loved this book. Teens will love this book. I saw a comment that said it did not have a moral. I can see how the ending might lead you to believe this, but I think it shows just how dangerous RX drug use can be- its not an easy habit to kick. Moral: Don't start it in the first place.

eye opening

I am a 40 yr old master's in school counseling student. I am very naive about drug use with teens. This book is eye opening about what is occurring with our youth being addicted to prescription meds. Parents, keep your prescription meds out of the reach of your kids. Frightening.

Wow!

Before reading this book, I expected to be a typical teen novel. Boring, unrealistic, etc. I was mindblown. It's definetly on my top 3 books of all time. I couldn't put it down! I'm definetly recommending it to all my friends.

RX

This book was AMAZING and totally worth reading it. It shows are prescription drugs are all around you and how they could change your life in so many different ways. This book captures you and im sure that you will not be able to stop reading!!

A Bold, Fictional Account of Teenage Drug Abuse

Thyme Gilchrest is a model student who participates in numerous school activities and is definitely college-bound. She has an excellent reputation --- but that is about to change. This upper-middle class teen walks a very fine line, or straddles a pretty wobbly one, depending upon your point of view. Thyme is not your average drug dealer. The story begins as Thyme is finishing up her junior year. She's obsessed with improving her GPA, getting great scores on her SATs, and being accepted by the "right" college. She has a nice wardrobe, a generous allowance, and all her parents expect of her is that she gets excellent grades and keeps out of trouble. Thyme is convinced that Ritalin, a prescription medication used to treat attention deficit disorder, would really help her study more efficiently. At school Ritalin is called a "study aid." Unable to convince her parents that she needs to visit a doctor, who she assumes will prescribe Ritalin for her, Thyme steals a bottle of medication from her friend Will. While the contraband Ritalin does help Thyme concentrate on details and memorize facts easily, it doesn't help her understand concepts. She spends a lot of time online learning about various prescription medications, their uses and side effects. She considers herself a bit of an expert and attempts amateurishly to diagnose other students who seek her out. With her meticulously detailed database, organizing which students she thinks need what drugs and the drugs they may already have access to, Thyme quickly becomes the "go to" person for drugs. Soon she is trading, stealing, buying, and selling drugs at school. She doesn't intend to use anything other than Ritalin, her study aid, but soon she's experimenting with other prescription and illegal drugs. Thyme gives Dave some Ritalin to try, and he gives her a marijuana joint that she plans to trade for something else. Genevieve notices their transaction and asks Thyme for Xanax; Genevieve has access to codeine and ADD meds. Before long Thyme is deeply involved in drug dealing. She gets invited to parties hosted by the cool kids who used to ignore her. Now they accept her but only because they want what she has to offer --- access to all kinds of drugs. Thyme finds that Ritalin is not without side effects --- for example, a rather frightening accelerated heart rate. And when she runs out of Ritalin and decides to quit cold turkey she experiences nausea, weakness and depression. She vows never to run out of Ritalin again. The story continues on to its surprising conclusion. Sometimes the reader almost forgets that this is a work of fiction. The dialogue is very authentic. The descriptions of the stresses of being a teenager, with all the confusion and angst that sometimes accompany the teen years, is entirely believable. Author Tracy Lynn had only one reason to write a book about illegal use of prescription drugs --- to let the teen reader vicariously and safely understand drug abuse. Armed with