The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza

Starred review from December 11, 2017
Sixteen-year-old Elena Mendoza doesn’t have a father—hers was a virgin birth (scientifically known as parthenogenesis), and Elena has never stopped feeling like an outsider or freak. (Her classmates have nicknamed her Mary, even though Jesus would be the more biblically accurate nickname.) Elena also hears voices, and after her crush Winifred (aka Freddie) is shot while Elena is working at Starbucks, the voice (coming from the company’s corporate logo) tells Elena to heal her—which she does. Caustically funny and irreverent, the voices urge Elena to heal others, but people disappear from the planet every time she does. As he did in At the Edge of the Universe and We Are the Ants, Hutchinson uses an “Is this the end of all things?” premise to create provocative and moving insights into the angst, wonder, and uncertainty of being a teenager. Elena’s carefully developed relationships with her supportive best friend Fadil, her ex Javier, the conflicted Freddie, and her family bring additional depth to a thoughtful story about choice and destiny. Ages 14–up. Agent: Katie Shea Boutillier, Donald Maass Literary.

January 1, 2018

Gr 8 Up-With great power comes great responsibility-and even more confusion. Elena Mendoza, 16, has recently discovered that she can magically heal the sick or wounded; but whenever she does, people all over the world disappear. The result of a scientifically proven virgin birth, Elena has long been gossip fodder at school, and after she heals a girl who's been shot (her crush, Freddie), the rumors go into overdrive, with some hailing her as a "Miracle Girl" and others deriding her as a fake. Inanimate objects have spoken to Elena all her life, and now they instruct her to heal as many people as possible. But is the teen sending the disappearing people to their salvation or to their doom? Hutchinson artfully blends the realistic and the surreal (and a bit of the biblical) for an utterly absorbing take on the Rapture. The author depicts Elena's bond with her loving mother, the ups and downs of her friendship with Fadil, and her burgeoning relationship with Freddie with finesse. Beneath the snarky, self-deprecating prose lie thought-provoking questions about morality, the universe, and free will. Hutchinson provides few answers, trusting readers, and Elena, to come to their own conclusions. VERDICT The author presents an entirely original take on apocalyptic fiction-no mean feat. Hand this stirring tale to fans of Aaron Starmer's Spontaneous and those who enjoy A.S. King's work.-Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 15, 2018
A coffee chain is the unlikely setting of a miracle healing that sets in motion events that herald a coming apocalypse. Sixteen-year-old Elena Mendoza was the product of a virgin birth. While unkind classmates taunt her with the nickname "Mary," there is a scientific explanation for her existence: parthenogenesis. Essentially a clone of her half-Cuban, half-white mother, she also hears voices emanating from inanimate objects. When Elena saves the life of her longtime crush, Freddie, after she is shot at a Starbucks, she discovers the trade-off: with each healing, random people disappear from Earth, beginning with the shooter himself. Freddie, whose race is not described, struggles with depression and has mixed feelings about her role as the involuntary recipient of a miracle cure even as the two embark on a rocky flirtation. Elena must decide whether to listen to her best friend, Fadil, a devout Muslim boy who believes her powers are God-given; the clamoring voices speaking through a My Little Pony, Lego Gandalf, and other objects that tell her she is destined for greatness; or her own doubt-ridden conscience. Fantasy fans who desire intricate technical explanations may be disappointed at what is left unexplained, but the story is about faith, after all, and readers who appreciate relationship-driven novels will have much to savor. Elena's bisexuality is refreshingly unproblematic--simply another aspect of her nature that is accepted by those around her--an echo of the deft treatment of differences among the diverse cast of characters. A creative and original tale shot through with quirky humor that entertains while encouraging readers to ponder questions of free will and social responsibility. (Fantasy. 14-adult)

COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.