Projection

August 5, 2013
Green (The Secret Society of the Pink Crystal Ball) launches a series evocative of Freaky Friday and inspired by classic philosophy. California teen Gretchen Harris is part of the Oculus Society, a sisterhood dedicated to secretly preserving the Plotinus Ability, which allows participants to trade bodies/souls. When Gretchen’s mother, the head of the Society, is murdered, Gretchen vows to find the killer. She teams up with her best friend Jessica and, later, social rival Ariel, swapping identities to ferret out the truth, certain that the culprit is someone close to home. However, inhabiting each others’ lives is harder than expected. While Green’s premise is solid and the underlying mystery intriguing, the story struggles with pacing problems, including a significant two-year time jump. The theme of girl empowerment runs up against an oddly unfulfilled lesbian subtext—the fact that the girls must kiss in order to exchange bodies is an oft-mentioned subject and plot point, yet the book shies away from a deeper exploration of sexual identity. Nevertheless, it’s a strong start for a series with potential. Ages 12–up.

August 15, 2013
The Da Vinci Code meets Freaky Friday in this chick-lit mystery. It posits that during the Roman Empire, Plotinus, a real philosopher who's fictionalized in this thriller, discovered a ritualistic way to trade souls with other humans. Two thousand years later, the Oculus Society, a secret society based on Plotinus' practices and made up of wealthy socialites, leads the town of Delphi, Calif. When Gretchen's mother, the president of the Oculus Society, turns up dead, the teen sets out to find her mother's killer. After a slow start, the pacing quickens and remains heightened as Gretchen and her best friend, Jessica (also with ties to the Oculus Society), trade souls to gather evidence in the stalled murder investigation. They create more tension when they invite Ariel, a one-time foe who's still not completely eliminated from the suspect list, to join in their hunt and soul switching. The novel's third-person narration allows each girl to see the crime and clues from a different perspective and seemingly stereotyped characters to take shape. Flashbacks to Plotinus' soul switching, its disastrous results and how his ability came to be handed down to women only provide an engaging back story and helpful clues to solving the murder mystery. The focus on friendship will appeal to chick-lit fans, while those tired of vampires, fallen angels and the like will appreciate the fresh take on the paranormal. (Paranormal thriller. 12 & up)

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September 1, 2013

Gr 8 Up-In ancient Rome, wealthy woman Gemina and philosopher Plotinus breathe their souls into each other's bodies, observed for safety reasons by a mutual friend. The projection works perfectly, though their bodies suffer unintended consequences. Flash forward to present-day Delphi, California, where Gretchen and Jessica undertake the same exchange, and Ariel snaps a picture of the same-sex kiss and posts it as a snarky reveal. Though the premise has potential, this book fails to capitalize on many of the story lines. The murder of Gretchen's mother in order to get an anklet seems superfluous as it turns out to be unnecessary to the Plotinus Ability (and why not just steal it?). The exchanges can be hard to follow as the author uses the name and thoughts of one person while describing actions using the name of the other. The girls make little interesting use of their exchanges. They sleep, feign illness, or hide alone in a bedroom, with occasional conversations with a parent or boyfriend. A parent insists the police will not reopen the case, and a page later the same parent insists the police will not rest until they find the killer. Parents seem unaware of the "lesbian kiss" video, which had such repercussions that two girls left town. The 2000-year-old Oculus Society is never shown making use of the Plotinus Ability and easily agrees to cease using it. The most interesting parts include occasional flashbacks to Gemina and Plotinus and the surprise ending, but overall the book offers little to engage most readers.-Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2013
Grades 7-10 In this uneven but suspenseful mystery, three frenemies investigate a murder by swapping bodies using a ritual developed by ancient philosopher Plotinus. Gretchen and Jessica are the daughters of prominent members of Delphi, California's influential Oculus Society, whose mission to improve public education masks its true purpose: to preserve the Plotinus Ability. When Gretchen's mother, the society president, is murdered, Gretchen and Jessica swap bodies to grill each other's suspects, but the ritualinvolving a kissis filmed by school rival Ariel. The fallout causes the two friends to leave town. When they return, two years later, they have a plan to unmask the killer, but they need Ariel to succeed. The premise, illuminated by flashbacks to Plotinus' life, is compelling, and the shallow characters gain depth through their interactions. However, aside from an important concluding scene, their body swapping is mostly superfluous to solving the mystery. This debatable plot element aside, the mix of friendship drama and paranormal mystery should win over readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)