Devine Intervention

Gr 7 Up—Everything Jerome Hancock touches ends in disaster—even in the afterlife. His 17-year-old soul was a firebrand in life and, for the last 16 years, has been in Soul Rehab. Depending on his success in the program, he can either earn a spot in Heaven or descend into one of the nine levels of Hell, which range from Level I: Everlasting Standardized Testing for the Ungrateful to Level IX, where people are reborn as maggots. His future depends on how successful he is as Heidi Devine's guardian angel. Heidi has been hearing his voice in her head since she was a child and as a teen she thinks she's having "auditory hallucinations." Jerome is certain that he's going to Hell, especially after Heidi falls through thin ice and drowns while he is distracted by a devious angel. The plot thickens as the antihero helps Heidi make sense of her life and regrets and tries to discern why her soul hasn't moved on. Told from Heidi's and Jerome's alternating perspectives, the chapters are introduced by and/or interspersed with commandments and sections from Jerome's Guardian Angel Handbook: Soul Rehab Edition. Even if the story line is a bit tired and Jerome's immaturity excessive, Brockenbrough's droll style delivers some laugh-out-loud moments. Reluctant readers will find the Heidi-Jerome dynamic entertaining and heartrending.—Jamie-Lee Schombs, Library Journal