The Shark Is Closed for Queries
8 hours ago
"Grade 8–10—A supernatural twist on the "Mean Girls" plot provides page-turning action. Cass McKenna sees ghosts. Her first spotting was her sister Paige, who failed to pass on to the afterlife following a drowning accident. Unfortunately for Cass, Paige and the ghosts that inhabit her school are her only friends. A junior-high bullying incident left her jaded and angry, and as revenge, she uses her supernatural informants to spill her classmates' juiciest secrets. When the student council VP discovers her covert ability, Cass unwillingly helps him contact his dead mother, leading to changes in her social status. Cass isn't the most lovable of protagonists, but her resentment is well developed and convincingly sustained throughout. Mysterious plot elements and the budding relationship between Cass and the VP will quickly engage reluctant readers.—Lindsay Cesari, Baldwinsville School District, NY END "
Grade 9–11—As she ponders what she calls the "social mystery" that makes some kids seem to belong and others not, Viola, 16, wishes she didn't feel quite so invisible. Ever since her boyfriend confided in her and came out to his high school class, she has felt neglected and alone, while Lawrence has been adopted by the school's Royal Family of popular kids. When Viola accidentally summons a jinn, she contemplates the three wishes he offers to grant her, while Jinn considers Viola herself. Told in the alternating voices of Jinn and Viola, this story is a romance first and a fantasy last. After she wishes herself into the arms of popular Aaron, Viola finds herself comparing him unfavorably to Jinn, while Jinn, uncommonly critical of Aaron, struggles with his blossoming feelings for Viola. Though the first-person prose is easy to read and the romance is satisfying, the genre blending is less successful and might lead fantasy fans to judge the novel in harsher terms. The human/jinn romance ultimately comes off as a bit unbelievable, but the fantasy element draws attention to the wish-fulfillment trope at the heart of any romance novel.—Amy S. Pattee, Simmons College, Boston
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Grade 9 Up—Jessica Hunsucker has no life. Her father is long dead, and her mother is a distant, radically driven politician who has no time for her. While she is miserable, she is getting along as best she can—until she wakes up in the middle of the night on her 16th birthday to find a demon in her room. Brad has come to collect her, in return for her mother's successful rise to the Presidency of the United States—and perhaps beyond. Before she can blink, they are in Hell, in a tacky suburban ranch house. Oh, and she and Brad are supposed to be mates. He doesn't force the issue, and their lives fall into a sort of dull existence. Nearly bored out of her mind, Jessica follows her mother's campaign, learning of the world dictatorship she craves. The teen needs to find a way to stop the woman before she creates Hell on Earth. The story moves quickly, offering a very different view of Hell than readers have ever imagined. Brad and Jessica are entertaining characters, and readers will cheer them on as they attempt to save the world and work through their rocky relationship.—Melyssa Malinowski, Kenwood High School, Baltimore, MD ENDMy Thoughts:
The sorting hat says that I belong in Hufflepuff!
Said Hufflepuff, "I'll teach the lot, and treat them just the same."
Hufflepuff students are friendly, fair-minded, modest, and hard-working. A well-known member was Cedric Diggory, who represented Hogwarts in the most recent Triwizard Tournament.
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