Celeste

November 1, 2015

Gr 7 Up-This second installment of the "Unseen" series (Jolly Fish) builds on Eleanor Ander's ability to navigate through a world that has totally turned upside down on her. Her adoptive mother has died, leaving Eleanor to be fostered by her boyfriend David Venn's family. Mrs. Venn expects the couple to behave as brother and sister. David has also taken up the role of helping Eleanor remain unseen. Every year, Eleanor has to update her look by making contact with Celeste, the girl upon whom she models her current appearance. She has always managed to carry this out while Celeste slept. This year, however, she gets caught. A local Navajo youth who attend high school with Eleanor and witnessed her breakdown at the prom recognizes her as a shape-shifter. And a new religious group is vocalizing dislike of the paranormal activities that have been reported in the media, all of which spurs the hostility against Eleanor even more. Now David's alcoholic dad has returned and 17-year-old Celeste has disappeared. This finely tuned exploration of the contemporary ills of poverty, racism, and gossip-mongering skillfully shows how these issues lurk conveniently below the surface. Worthen adeptly allows readers entry into the world of this sophomore installment without having to read previous volume. VERDICT Fans of contemporary psycho thrillers will easily make connections with Eleanor's narration as she ponders a resolution to future alliances and directions. Highly recommended.-Sabrina Carnesi, Crittenden Middle School, Newport News, VA

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