After Obsession

Gr 9 Up—In Aimee Avery's quiet Maine town, folks have been acting strangely; people seem irritated and fights are breaking out daily. Aimee's friend Courtney has turned into a different person since her father's death. Even Aimee's nice-guy boyfriend, Blake, is acting oddly possessive. When Courtney's cousin Alan moves to town, he also notices the bizarre energy—as well as Aimee. Aimee has always been different, but she has tried her best to fit in. She has been missing her mother terribly since her death and her abilities to heal people with her touch and "see things in her dreams before they happen" weigh on her heavily. Alan is half Navajo and has an understanding of the spirit world. As Courtney slowly becomes possessed by a demon, Aimee and Alan realize that something evil that has plagued the small town for centuries has found a powerful host and is bent on destroying everything in its path. Told in the alternating voices of Aimee (penned by Jones) and Alan (written by Wedel), this tale has it all: an eerie setting, a powerful romance, and a terrifying dark force. In spite of the slightly over-the-top showdown, Jones's fans will devour this one, which, thanks to Wedel, offers a fresh male perspective.—Tara Kehoe, Plainsboro Public Library, NJ