Strange Girl

September 7, 2015
In a novel presented as an unconventional love story recounted 10 years after the fact, Pike (the Witch World series) offers a less-than-subtle exploration of faith and spirituality. Seventeen-year-old struggling musician Fred Allen can’t wait to escape his small South Dakota town. Then he meets Aja Smith, a beautiful Brazilian transfer student utterly unfamiliar with American culture. Despite her many quirks—referring to herself as “this body” and taking questions literally—Fred is quickly attracted to her, and a relationship blossoms. When Aja’s mere presence sparks miracles in which people are healed of physical or emotional wounds, she becomes famous, instigating a series of controversies. Although Aja claims she isn’t a healer, merely an instrument for “the Big Person,” what that means remains open for debate. Unfortunately, Pike’s characters are stuck acting as well-educated mouthpieces for various religious and philosophical stances, rather than actual teens faced with the remarkable or unbelievable. Aja fares worst of all, existing solely as a plot device and Christ allegory, her role to benefit everyone but herself, leading to a maudlin, clichéd conclusion. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jennifer Unter, Unter Agency.

September 15, 2015
An enigmatic new arrival turns the life of a high school rocker upside down. When beautiful, mysterious Aja arrives in Fred's town, he is intrigued, quickly falling in love with her and her strange ways. Referred to in her native Brazil as "Pequena Maga," or "Little Magician," Aja has the whole town gossiping about her special abilities, and after witnessing the miraculous recovery of a friend while in Aja's presence, Fred begins to believe, too. Enthralled and protective, Fred spends much of his time shielding Aja from a snooping reporter and the scrutiny of the town; however, the stakes never seem high, and the book lacks tension. With phrases such as "she's a looker" and "swinging chick," both Fred's narration and the dialogue sound dated and result in an inauthentic teen voice. Perhaps to compensate for this weakness, the book name-drops pop-culture references like The Walking Dead and Jay Z and 50 Cent. Pike gamely attempts to address hot-button issues like sexuality and race, but the discussions around these topics are both obvious and didactic. On the issue of race, the book is regressive and falls back on negative tropes by turning a significant black character into the Magical Negro. Pensive teen readers might appreciate the book's philosophical questions about the concept of advaita, the recognition of one's "true self," but this work better suits Pike's original fans-fans who are far removed from the teenage experience. (Paranormal romance. 14 & up)

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November 1, 2015

Gr 9 Up-Fred is an average teenage boy. He's in a band, he's recently been dumped, his bestie is a girl, and he has a major crush on the town's newest resident, Aja. Aja, however, is anything but average. Raised in the jungles of Brazil, Aja brings a storm of controversy with her wherever she goes. Is it coincidence or divine intervention that the sick suddenly become well in her presence? When word of Aja's impressive abilities begins to travel, Fred and the rest of the band take it upon themselves to shield her from the public eye. Fans of Pike's previous work may be disappointed by the lack of conniving characters and dangerous situations usually present in his novels. This title is a departure from the horror genre, leaning heavily toward the paranormal. Descriptions of sexual situations make this title appropriate for older teens. VERDICT Make room on the shelf for the latest offering from a longtime YA writer.-Jennifer Furuyama, Pendleton Public Library, OR

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2015
Grades 9-12 From the moment 17-year-old Fred Allen sees her in the park picking daisies, he is smitten. She is so beautiful, so different from other Elder, South Dakota, girls. Indeed, Fred has no idea how different, or how she will impact his life, until she begins to touch him, both mentally and physically. Somehow Aja healsthe mind, the spirit, even the bodyand others, not just Fred, soon realize it. In this healing, she becomes a danger to herself and to her friends. Pike's romantic fantasy is a gentle love story that harbors the subtle premonition of sadness and even violence. It exposes a more reflective, almost didactic Pike, who introduces readers to Advaita, an Indian philosophy of oneness: Aja is peaceful, Aja is perceptive, Aja is healing, Aja is strangeAja is. It's an interesting book, one that can be read simply as a sweet, sad romance, or one that can trigger the beginnings of a fascinating philosophical discussion of religion and the meaning of life and death.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)