Reviewed by Stephanie Chapman for Readers' Favorite

Confessions of a Dangerous Girl by Dan Birk features Emma, a teenage psychopath. When she was six, Emma’s parents put her in a boarding school for children with antisocial personality disorder. Without her parents knowing, the institute trains teen assassins for the CIA. Dr. Early tells Emma he is sending her home on an assignment. She is required to join Grover Cleveland High School’s Model UN team and attend a competition in New York. She finds her fearless and introverted personality backfiring. Emma could only make the team as an alternate. During the tryouts, she didn’t do well in the teamwork portion by turning on Maeve. Ms. Edelman tells her to convince Susie, the team captain, that she is trustworthy. Emma has two months to sway Susie’s opinion so she can go to the New York Conference. However, Maeve and Susie are almost inseparable best friends.

Dan Birk’s writing style made Emma come alive. I felt as if I could have been sitting in a room meeting a new friend. The diagnostic and training terms didn’t limit my enjoyment. They build suspense by highlighting issues that Emma has to resolve before she can go to New York. Emma’s ability to pinpoint the weaknesses in others is shocking. The transitions from one event to the next were easy to follow. The vivid details provided made it easy to picture each moment. The unpredictable storyline had me eager to see how she responded to each event. There were moments of humor where I laughed at the dialog between the students and Emma. I also found it amusing that Emma had a shoe fetish. The end tied all the loose ends together. Confessions of a Dangerous Girl is a good book for young adults who enjoy antiheroes that develop emotions.