Crusader (Bloor novel)

Crusader
Author(s)	Edward Bloor
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Young adult novel
Publisher	Scholastic
Publication date	1997
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages	400 pp
Preceded by	Tangerine (novel)

Crusader is a novel by Edward Bloor which was published on October 15, 1999. This novel was Bloor's follow-up to the award-winning Tangerine.

Plot

The central character in Crusader is 15-year-old Roberta Ritter, who lives in south Florida with her widowed father. Roberta is an aspiring journalist, but works after school and on the weekends at Arcane, the virtual-reality arcade run by her father and uncle.

Roberta is not content with her life so far; her father barely seems to notice her, instead spending much of his free time with his new girlfriend, Suzie. Roberta doesn't approve of the games offered in Arcane, which are all filled with over-the-top violence and racial overtones, nor does she like having to deal with the arcade's often unsavory clientele.

Roberta takes it upon herself, with the occasional help of some friends and her high school journalism teacher, to investigate a series of incidents at the mall where Arcane is located. These incidents range from hate crimes perpetrated against vendors, to rumors that the mall developers are planning to have the mall demolished.

In addition, Roberta devotes her time to trying to solve a much more personal mystery: her mother was murdered during a hold-up seven years before Crusader takes place, and the case was never solved.

Awards

• New York Public Library Best Books for the Teen Age, 2000
• Young Adults' Choices Best of the Rest, 2000