WEEKEND AT THE RITZ Frank O'Keeffe Victoria (B.C.), Beach Holme Publishers, 1993. 184pp, paper, $5.95, ISBN 0-88878-34-6 CIP Reviewed by Anne Louise Mahoney Volume 22 Number 3 1994 May / June In  Weekend at the Ritz, Frank O'Keffe's fifth novel, a lot of improbable things happen. Bobby Spezzactena (Spazz), a high school student who looks like Billy T Banko, the lead singer of a popular heavy metal band, is asked to impersonate Billy T by staying at the Ritz Hotel while the real Billy T sneaks off to get married. Spazz's best friend Kevin, acts as his roadie. But Spazz is too successful at impersonating his idol; the two boys, along with their friends Lauren and Debbie, are kidnapped by the members of an unknown band, who hold them for ransom. The plot is far-fetched, but it has potential. Unfortunately, it falls apart when, after a day or so, the kidnappers just decide to let the captives go. Any tension in the story evaporates, and the reader is denied the satisfaction of seeing the teenagers escape. The loose ends in the story are tied up, but it's too late to save the novel. On a technical note, punctuation is sloppy, especially in the dialogue. Grades 5 to 7 / Ages 10 to 12 Anne Louise Mahoney is an Ottawa Editor HOME | TITLES | AUTHORS | MEDIA | AGE/GRADE | FEATURES | DATES The materials in this archive are copyright © The Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission Copyright information for reviewers Digital Collections / Collections Numérisees cm@mts.net