Beautiful Decay

Gr 8 Up—This moving paranormal horror novel is simultaneously creepy and uplifting. Everyone knows about 17-year-old Ellie's "condition." A touch of her bare skin can cause anyone or anything to decay. No one wants to be near her, even though she wears gloves to avoid contact with anyone. Even her mother is terrified and spends her time fanatically cleaning the house with bleach or out volunteering. Ellie sees her lawyer father even less. Things at school improve when Nate, the new guy, seems more curious than grossed out by her. Ellie is surprised that from the moment they meet he can tell that she has an "ability." That's because he has one too. Ellie is drawn to him and finds that Nate's family life is even worse than hers. His mother has issues, and the ruthless people his deceased father worked for want Nate to follow in his footsteps. Ellie finds the strength she didn't know she had to break away from her lonely, "bleached and gloved" existence to help him. The plot is compelling and fast paced. Teens will relate to Ellie's feelings of being different and her craving for human contact. Fans of Catherine Zinks's The Reformed Vampire Support Group (Harcourt, 2009), Lish McBride's Hold Me Closer, Necromancer (Holt, 2010), or Holly Black's White Cat (S & S, 2010) will find a lot to like here.—Sharon Rawlins, New Jersey State Library, Trenton