Gifted Touch

April 1, 2001
Despite its fast pace and original premise, the debut novel of the Fingerprints series makes a less than memorable impression. When Rae starts to hear voices in her head, she is convinced that she is slipping into insanity, just as her deceased mother had apparently done. After having what appears to be a breakdown in her high school cafeteria, Rae is temporarily hospitalized for paranoiac delusions. Given the title of both the series and the book, and the circumstances under which Rae hears the "not-her thoughts," their source soon becomes apparent to readers: whenever the teen touches an object, she experiences the thoughts of individuals who have touched it previously. Metz (the Roswell High series) ratchets up the implausibility when a pipe bomb explodes dangerously close to Rae at the hospital where she attends group therapy sessions. Knowing from one of her internal voices that someone has it out for her, she is determined to track down the culprit and exonerate the friend who has been falsely accused of planting the bomb. Readers may find it frustrating that the villain's identity remains a mystery at the end, as do the circumstances of Rae's mother's decline. Presumably these items will be divulged in a subsequent installment, but the audience's willingness to return remains in question. Ages 12-up.

August 1, 2001
Gr 8 Up-This engaging mystery conveys themes of self-discovery and self-acceptance within a classic whodunit framework. Rae Voight can read the minds of others by touching their fingerprints. Throughout the book, readers encounter jagged, boldface words invading her normal thoughts. These interruptions are at first disorienting because they come without explanation, but readers will soon empathize with Rae because they are just as jarring to her. As these foreign thoughts increase, the teen has a breakdown and is hospitalized. Returning home, she finds it difficult to go back to her suburban private-school lifestyle. These troubles are compounded by an attempt on her life. As the hunt for the would-be killer ensues, she develops several relationships and is able to accept her abilities. The true gifted touch, however, is possessed by Metz, who has an uncanny ability to capture the rhythm and inherent self-consciousness of teenage thought. A good title for fans of Metz's "Roswell High" series (Pulse).-Louie Lahana, New York City Public Schools MOORE, Ishbel. Dolina's Decision. 128p. (Dolina Series). CIP. Roussan, dist. by Orca. 2001. pap. $6.95. ISBN 1-896184-74-X. LC C00-900203-0. Gr 7-10-In this third book in the series, Dolina comes to terms with finally meeting her father and with her crush on Spencer, the ruggedly handsome farm boy with whom she happens to be sharing a house. She is impulsive, immature, a bit on the wild side, and slightly annoying. Her feelings for Spencer cause her to act unreasonably, and her insistent search for her father becomes obsessive. The story is fast paced and Dolina is interesting, but the novel does not stand alone. Teens who loved Dolina May (1997) and Dolina's Grad (1998, both Roussan) will want to know the young woman's decision, but others will find the book unsatisfying.-Angela J. Reynolds, Washington County Cooperative Library Services, Aloha, OR

Copyright 2001 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.